


I'd Die A Thousand Times

by Twintaileddragon



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bro stuff, Dancing, F/M, Love, Night push ups, Reader Insert, Romance, Slow Burn, picking on Ouma for almost no reason, you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-14 04:32:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 29
Words: 33,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11775576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twintaileddragon/pseuds/Twintaileddragon
Summary: Alternate Universe in which Killing game resets at the end but memories are retainedYou woke up in the gym. Everyone else is here as well. the killing game has reset and it's revealed that even if you survive to the end, no one can escape until a murder is committed and isn't solved. The game starts again. At least that give you more time to bond with your new friends.... and Shuichi Saihara.Old grudges, new grudges. Confronting the people that killed you the first time around? Yeah, shit's about to get rowdy....





	1. It begins Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think <3 no such thing as commenting too much

It was cold. The first thing you felt was cold. You fluttered open your eyes, seeing other kicking themselves off the grimy floor of the overgrown gym. You finally heard groans and curses. You recognized these people. Some were friends, Some were acquaintances and then there's whatever the hell Ouma was. He was the first one you saw, too. That smarmy, purple haired son of a bitch practically bullied you before..... before you died. Come to think of it, a lot of the people in this room had previously died.. but they were here? You finally got yourself off the floor. Gonta, Tenko, Kiruma, Maki, Korekiyo, Shuichi, Kaede, Ryoma, Kaito, HImiko, Angie, Kiibo, Ouma, Tsumugi, They are all here! Memories flooded back to you of murder and gruesome executions. You shuddered, seeing Ouma getting up and scratching his head.  
"What the hell happened?" Kaito spoke up, groaning in pain and cracking his back. "Man, I feel like I got hit by a truck."  
"Momota!" The timid detective said, getting to his feet and running to Kaito. It should have been a happy reunion but it didn't feel like it. Something wasn't right.  
"Saihara!...What the hell is going on?!"  
"Pupupupu!" Oh that laugh. You had begun to dread that laugh. You all turned to the stage, seeing the monochrome bear and his children. "Welcome to another exciting semester! I couldn't BEAR to say goodbye last time!" By now, everyone was on their feet, staring blankly at the head master. Monokuma was there...this was not good.

 

"Are you Kidding me!" Kaito said with fervor, slamming his fist on the cafeteria table. A few minutes ago, Monokuma had revealed the true nightmare that you all were in. The killing game had restarted. The classmates decided to collect in the cafeteria, to talk about the next course of action. You had your feet kicked up on the table, sitting between your only friend here: Angie! You don't remember being dead very much but you surmise that if you missed anyone it was her... and one other person. Kaito was spouting out curses, clearly not taking the news well. You all had to compete again and again. You didn't see any reason to keep up hope.  
"Momota, please calm down!" Kaede pleaded. "We can escape, we can do this-"  
"Please don't start that again." Korekiyo said softly, his hand on his cheek. "This is futile. Even if we die, we'll revive when the game resets. I almost wish we didn't remember any preceding events but then again the bear lives for that kind of drama."  
"By the way~" Ouma started, smiling widely. You always hated when he spoke. "Kaede you murdered Rantaro!"  
"Wait, What?" The man spun, looking at the timid pianist. "You killed me?" She didn't speak, looking down at the ground. The detective at her side didn't want to say anything, afraid to offend Rantaro. It almost hurt your heart to see Kaede back. Shuichi hadn't left her side since they reunited.  
"I-I don't know what to do or think... I was sure that I had met my end..." Gonta said simply. "B-But I'm glad I'm back." You were relatively ignored in the room but the spotlight hit you when Gonta grabbed your hand a deep feeling of regret plastered on his face. "Y/N, I'm so sorry for everything."  
"What are you even talking about?" You laughed, not enjoying the attention on you. When people paid attention to you it wasn't long before Ouma-  
"Oh Right~" Speak of the devil... Ouma started almost on cue, looking directly at you with his big adorable eyes. Mischief shown in them. "Y/N, I forgot that you died. If it weren't for the trial it might not have even been noticed!" You felt your eye twitch. Fortunately, The Aikido master spoke up. Tenko always did like you.  
"First off! Shut the hell up! Y/N, Don't listen to this chauvinist asshole! I know for a fact that Himiko and I missed you." She yelled with a slight blush.  
"Y-Yeah." the little magician said, shifting foot to foot. "We never forgot you..."  
"But what an undignified way to die, am I right?" Ouma said sweetly, pissing off most of the women in the room. "I mean, you weren't even murdered or executed. You just lost your footing on the kitchen counter. How embarrassing!"  
"I said SHUT UP!" Tenko threatened.  
"I'm just saying! Pretty weird that the Ultimate Dancer isn't any good on her feet~"  
"That's it!" Tenko shot up from her chair. You quickly lunged, grabbing her arm and dragging her back down into the chair.  
"Tenko, He's not worth it! Sit back down!"  
"Why should I?! He'll just revive when the game resets!"  
"P-Please, Let's all calm down, we're just all a little stressed-" Saihara started, trying to diffuse the situation.  
"I-I'm sorry that I brought all this up!" Gonta said. "I-It's just... I was there. I could have caught you but I didn't and I can never forgive myself!" You gasped lightly but ultimately smile, kissing the gentle giants forehead.  
"I never even thought of it like that.. Never... Gonta my death was an accident." You tried to reassure him. Your words brought some comfort, but he still wasn't sure. "You didn't do anything and there was nothing to be done-"  
"Well~," Ouma started, clearly enjoying messing with you. "He could have caught you... He just didn't! In fact, that was a major point of the trial! We didn't know whether Gonta was at fault or not!" You had never even thought about your trial. Your mind began to wonder to the detective. Had he defended Gonta? What did he even think of you dying? You knew him a little bit and he was a cute little thing but he probably didn't even know you existed. You derailed your train of thought, hearing Iruma speak up.  
"Ugh, I'm so tired of being here with you losers, and now to find out I'm stuck here FOREVER. I'm going to my Research room. If you know what's good for you, don't bother me." You rolled your eyes as the inventor walked off. She was all talk. Everyone slowly murmured goodbyes and went their separate ways. You can't believe this crazy game was starting over.


	2. With Friends Like These

It was getting dark. For most, it felt awkward to be back. You, like many others, retreated to your research room. The dance studio. You had almost forgot what it looked like. When that music was on you didn't have a trouble in the world. If it weren't for the killing game then this would be heaven. As the day faded away you danced. You didn't care who came by or if anyone needed anything. You were at peace here. Through your popping and locking, of course you noticed Angie saunter into your room. She liked watching you dance. She wanted to paint your dancing once but you weren't sure how she could paint a moving model. She leaned against the wall, just watching you with that happy smile on her face. You smiled lightly, continuing to lose yourself in the rhythm.  
Every song you finished, Angie clapped, Every time you didn't land a move she would comfort you. Having Angie around was just the best. FInally, dripping with sweat, you removed your sweatsuit jacket, walking over to Angie and leaning against the wall beside her.  
"Just as good as always!" She praised, doing one of her happy little poses. "I missed you."  
"I missed you, too." You confessed. "I missed a lot of people."  
"Even, Shu- I- Chi!" She chanted. You scoffed, kicking off the wall and going back to the stereo, ready to put on another song.  
"I have no idea, what you're talking about."  
"Yes you do~." She sang. "You totally told me, the day that you died. 'Angie, I think I'm falling for Saihara'." She said, mimicking your voice. "You didn't have to tell me though, God had already told Angie everything!"  
"Uh huh. Fascinating." You rolled your eyes. "Look, Shuichi is... cute and all but that was before this game reset.... and he was reunited with his one true love~" You pretended to gush, turning on the stereo and starting over on a song. You kept the music low, as to still hear Angie talk.  
"His hat?!"  
"No, Not his hat... maybe... I mean Kaede." You said, landing a flip. "You saw the way he looked at her today. Having her back is the best thing that happened to him-"  
"God thinks you're being ridiculous!" Angie said in the sweetest voice. "You and him did a small amount of bonding before you died, a little bit more than him and Kaede... Don't just give up!"  
"I appreciate the advice but I'm pretty sure that-" The school bell sounded, cutting you off. Some half assed little skit with Monokuma's kids beating up a giant fish to tell you that it was night time. There wasn't really a curfew, so you wanted to ignore it, but the announcement meant that Angie would probably leave. Might as well head back to your rooms.  
"Y/n!" She said, pulling you from your thoughts. "Wanna walk back to the dorms?" You smiled, seeing her hopeful eyes.  
"...Sure."

 

"The sky is so pretty!" She marvelled, looking straight up. "I like how you can see the curve of the earth when you look directly up!"  
"Yeah, that is pretty cool." You said. You walked through the campus, expecting to see a number of people but it was surprisingly bare....or so you thought. You both walked a little further and you felt your heart kickstart, hearing Shuichi's voice.  
"T-This isn't what I mean by relaxing and reading a book tonight-"  
"JUST A FEW MORE PUSH UPS, YOU CAN DO IT!" You and Angie cocked your heads at the same time, walking a little further to see the weirdest book club you had ever seen. Kaito, Shuichi, and Kaede were doing pushups, books were on the ground, open. Kaito was reading aloud every time he lowered himself down. Shuichi looked confused and little embarrassed.  
"I don't think I can read like this!" Shuichi pleaded. Kaede was even having trouble.  
"IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES!" Kaito read. "IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES!"  
"This is not what I had in mind!"  
"What the hell are you guys doing?" You chuckled a little. Kaede looked up at you with a smile, Kaito even sported a cheesy grin but Shuichi didn't look up at you. It was like he was avoiding your gaze. You felt a small pang in your heart.  
"We're having the ultimate training session of the body and the mind!"  
"So you're reading and doing push ups?" Angie asked. "Sounds fun!"  
"I don't think I could focus on a book AND do push ups. One or the other." You admitted. Shuichi smiled lightly, though you didn't notice. Kaede got up, dusting off her clothes and picking up her book.  
"Yeah, It is pretty hard. You guys can have fun.. I think I'm going to spend some time in my research room before bed." Akamtsu said. Shuichi looked a little disheartened but ultimately agreed.  
"Well, You guys keep up your weird Book stuff." Angie Said, "Me and Y/N are headed to bed!"  
"Later boys!" You sang, walking off with Angie. Shuichi smirked a little, watching you leave.  
"ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THIS! 30 MORE PUSH UPS, 40 MORE PAGES."  
"Please tell me that we are never going to do this again..."


	3. Chapter 3

You woke up the next morning a little dazed. Maybe it's because you didn't sleep very well. You stayed up thinking about the wave of new possibilities. You could potentially be murdered this time around.... or kill someone. You tried your best not to think about that. For a long time that night you simply stared at the ceiling. The morning announcement felt like it arrived quickly and you could hear people leaving their rooms. You let out a sigh, throwing yourself out of bed and getting ready to start the day.  
When you left the room you gasped lightly, seeing Shuichi Saihara leaving his room. The dainty detective was wear his hat today. He had gone so long without it, that it just seemed out of place to wear it right now.  
"Saihara." You said softly, making the detective notice you. He mutter a quick greeting, smiling at you. "You have your hat on."  
"Y-Yeah... I'm just feeling a little anxious today...I-It helps me a bit."  
"Oh." You said simply. "Any particular reason you're anxious or is it just one of those days?"  
"No real reason, I guess." He said, pulling down the lip of his hat. "I'd rather not think about it. Well, It was nice talking to you, Y/N." He quickly said, excusing himself and hurrying away. You weren't really surprised. He probably felt weird having Kaede back.  
You went to the dance studio first. You didn't care for meeting in the cafeteria in the morning. Moreover, You knew you weren't the only one either. Korekiyo probably wasn't there. Maybe. You tried to convince yourself that you weren't the only one missing and that you wouldn't be noticed but even as you danced away the morning it snuck up the back of your skull.

Meanwhile, the cafeteria was actually pretty busy. Tojo was left and right taking care of everyone and friends were yukking it up. Angie was uncharacteristically worried, looking left and right at the busy table but it was no use. You just weren't there.  
"Angie, What's bothering you?" Yumeno started  
"Nothing really... It's just that Y/N isn't here."  
"She's probably in her studio. You know that's where she spends most of her time."  
"That's true. I think I'll stop by and see her-"  
"OH!?" Ouma suddenly shouted, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Shuichi's face turned a bright red as Ouma drew a crowd in. "Everyone~ Listen closely! Shuichi has something to say!" Ouma distanced himself, watching the spetical he helped create. Shuichi gulped audibly and then turned his attention to his friend Kaede. She looked confused.  
"L-Like I said... Kaede... there's something I want to tell you.... I..Well... ask you.." The poor boy looked like he was about to faint. Kaede's face softened and everyone looked on in anticipation, pretty sure of what was about to happen. "...Will you be my girlfriend!" He blurted out, shutting his eyes tightly. Everyone expected him to ask but to hear him say it made everyone either excited or anxious. Kaede froze, staring at the terrified detective before taking his hat off his head. He didn't open his eyes.  
"Saihara look at me." She commanded. He looked up like a helpless puppy...but he was not prepared for this. "No."  
The entire room was quiet. You could almost hear the boy's heart crack.  
"..N-No?"  
"I'm sorry, Shuichi.... It's just that.. You're the best friend I could ever ask for but... I don' t feel that way about you."  
"Oh." Kaito whispered, sucking on his teeth. "....S-Saihara?"  
"...I hope we can still be friends-" He didn't even wait for Kaede to finish. He jumped to his feet, running out of the room, to embarrassed to look at anyone. He ignored the calls of his friends and went off to his research room.

 

No one followed Shuichi, figuring that he needed time. He walked slowly, hands in his pockets and a melancholy looked on his face. He stared directly at the ground for the entire walk. His research room was right next to yours. He would always hear your music playing through the wall. For the first few days it annoyed him, sure, but now he can't read without hearing the bass bumping against the wall. He was about to enter his research room but he heard Kaito down the hall.  
"SAIHARA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" The teen panicked, he would be cornered in his research room, but it seemed odd to enter someone elses while they weren't there. His eyes quickly landed on your door. "SHUICHI, LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED!" He ducked into your room, slamming the door behind him and falling against it. Much to his surprise, you didn't even notice. You were in a world of your own when you danced. He couldn't even hear Kaito's yelling through the music.  
You didn't notice him at all, grooving and moving to the beat and ignoring the entire world around you. He was almost impressed. You seemed to cope much better than everyone else and you definitely seemed more attached to your talent than most people. You danced with passion. He found himself just entranced with watching you. You noticed him when you botched a headstand, landing on your butt and letting out a soft ow. You just looked at him and blinked, wondering why he was sitting on the floor in front of the door. You turned off the music and that's when you heard the yelling in the hallway. "SHUICHI, COME ON MAN. YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS!" Kaito's annoying voice rang. You sighed, approaching the detective and kneeling down to him.  
"Hiding from Starboy?"  
"I-I'd rather not talk about it." You shrugged, not really caring what Kaito wanted anyway. "Sorry to just barge in like this..."  
"No worries. Angie does it all the time."  
"That's different..." He trailed off, not really sure what else to say. It was quiet for another few seconds before you sprang back to your feet, ready to get going again. "You really love to dance." He said out of nowhere.  
"It's my everything." you admitted, walking to the stereo and scrolling through your play list. " You can stay as long as you'd like. If you want I can hold off on starting the music and when Kaito's gone you can run to your research room and grab a book... I don't know how long you plan on staying-"  
"N-No that's fine... I think I'd rather watch you dance." You stiffened, but continued looking through your music. Sure, Angie liked to watch you dance but she was a weirdo. Yumeno liked to watch you dance but she claimed that she was using vitality spells to help you land your harder moves. Well, Tenko liked to watch too... What made this so different- Okay that's obvious. A Boy you had a crush on , that just so happened to also be adorably cute, just admitted that he wanted to watch you dance, which for some reason made you a little uncomfortable. "If that's okay." He added last minute, to put you at ease. It worked. You shook your head and started a song.  
"I don't mind."


	4. Chapter 4

You don't know how long he stayed but he was watching you so intently you were curious how the meek detective wasn't bored out of his skull. Watching people dance can get a little boring after a long time. You stopped for a moment, giving your abused back a rest and the moment your turned off your music the door opened. Angie was holding a bowl.  
"Morning, Y/N!" She greeted happily. "I brought you something to eat!"  
"Oh, I had nearly forgotten. Thanks, Angie."  
"Of Course~!" She giggled. She had finally noticed Shuichi leaning against the wall and shrieked happily. "Oh, So this is where you went!" He couldn't help but blush, hearing a small reference to the fiasco this morning. "We were all worried about you-"  
"He doesn't want to talk about it. It's best to leave him be." You cut in. Angie looked disappointed but Shuichi breathed a relieved sigh.   
"So he didn't tell you what happened?"  
"No and he doesn't need to. That's his business."  
"T-Thank you Y/N." He said nervously. When he made eye contact it made a shiver travel up your spine. Angie noticed, beaming at you.  
"So~ You two look like you're having fun so Angie won't bother you!" She swayed back and forth, making you smile.  
"You know you're always welcome in here. I'd never make you leave."  
"That's fine. God says that it's best for Angie to totes leave you two alone for awhile." She gave a spirited goodbye and waltz out of the room, Leaving you both alone again. You let out a soft chuckle, but Shuichi had other things in mind.  
"...Do you really not care what happened?" He started, making sure to look you in the eyes. "I mean, you're most likely going to hear about it, anyway.... and I'd rather you hear about it from me than anyone else..." He finally broke eyes contact, shyly staring at the ground. "And even though I don't want to talk about it... I have to face her eventually." You bit your lip, a little curious what happened and who was involved. You nodded but when you realized that the boy was still looking at the ground you spoke up.  
"Sure. If you really are okay with telling me." You walked over, leaning on the wall beside him, making sure to look straight forward instead of directly at him. He tried to control his breathing for a minute, preparing himself to relive it.  
"...Well... I asked out Kaede this morning." Internally, you screamed. You weren't sure if they were happy or mad screams. You felt incredible! Obvioulsy she rejected him for him to be upset but at the same time you felt awful... I mean, this boy's heart was probably shattered. You struggled with your emotions, just listening to his words. "She said no... told me she didn't like me that way... I-I just... I can respect that, really I can...but everyone saw it and.... I just got so embarrassed. I regret running away like that. I wish i had just stayed and pretended everything was alright... even if it still hurts." You nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath and thinking of the next thing to say. You were at a loss. On one hand, he was still single. For some reason it made you happy that he was. Then again, he was also sad.  
"Shuichi," You said softly, hoping that your brain would just let the right words come to you. "That sucks." Your brain let you down.   
"Yeah." He said, turning his attention back to the floor. "The worse part is... Now she knows I like her and I think that even if everything goes back to normal, she may never develop romantic feelings for me."  
"Sucks." You're brain does NOT want to work today.  
"Yeah, Sucks." You smiled softly, hearing him say that. "I'm a little glad I got all that off my chest.... How do you do it?"  
"Do what?" You asked, confused.  
"Well, you're very blase when you get bad news. I don't think I've ever seen you panic or cry or anything like that. You're always so happy. Even in a sick game like this.... How do you do it?"   
"I don't..." You admitted. "I just don't react in front of people... It doesn't help to make people worry or upset anybody....but it does worlds of good to keep up a smile." Your brain finally got off it's ass and decided to say something meaningful. The timid boy smiled, looking to the ceiling instead of the floor. You looked up, too. You didn't know what you both were looking at but it's better to look up than to look down.   
You stayed like that for a while until Shuichi pushed himself off the wall. He scratched the back of his head nervously.  
"Thanks for everything, Y/N... I think i'm going to go and get everything straightened out... Thanks for listening..." He tried his best not to mumble and to look you in the eye. The gesture made you blush and you closed your eyes and shrugged.  
"It was nothing. I'm always free if you need anything."  
" I'll remember that. See you around, Y/N."


	5. Chapter 5

The sky was a pretty blue today. You laid in the grass,own watching the clouds go by. Not long after you went outside, Tenko joined you. She was telling you what the clouds looked like and normally you would play along but you were oddly silent. The martial artist couldn't help but notice your out of character quietness.  
"Something on your mind?"  
"Is it wrong that I feel happy that Shuichi was rejected?"  
"Yes." She said bluntly. "Incredibly wrong... but I get it." She shrugged, staring back up at the sky. "You can't help it. That's how you feel."  
"I'm such a selfish asshole..."  
"Yep." Always such a comforting friend. "But at least you didn't immediately ask him out while he was upset."  
"Yeah, that would have been awful..."  
"I mean, You're still awful."  
"Gee, Thanks-"  
"But you're not, like, the worst." You didn't even have a retort. You were a terrible friend for feeling the way you do. A large cloud above you, that had previously been blocking the sun had started to break apart. "I wouldn't worry about it. He's tough, he'll pull through."  
"He watched me dance for over an hours earlier..."  
"Why?" She scoffed, looking over at you. You didn't know how to answer her.  
"I don't know. He just hid in my research room for a bit, just wanted to hide from Momota."  
"I was wondering where he ran off to. So he just watched you dance?"  
"Yeah. It felt kind of weird... You know how when something weird happens and it just makes your whole day kind of....fuzzy?"  
"Not really but I'll pretend to understand." You guys stopped talking, hearing someone running through the grass. You looked up lazily and Kiibo was standing there. The robot had a serious tone about him, making you tense.  
"Everyone is gathering in the Cafeteria. A motive is being announced."

 

"SO! I noticed how buddy buddy and friendly you guys have been since you've been back! I can't have that!" The little bear danced. "So it's time for a MOTIVE!" His children threw confetti around and the classmates all felt their throats constrict. "Now, I know being back is probably a dream come true for you all! I don't care for dreams. Nightmares. Now those can tell you a lot about yourself! Pupupupu speaking of which, NO ONE CAN SLEEP UNTIL THE FIRST MURDER OCCURS!"  
"What?!" Miu panicked. "We're not allowed to sleep!?"  
"While you all are standing here with me, Your dorms have been locked! How long before you are all start hallucinating? OOOOH Who do you think will go crazy first! Hope you got a good night sleep last night!" The bear went on an on with various references before he disappeared. Everyone was just standing there. It was very obvious who didn't get to bed last night and who was scared of wwhat may happen. You kept your feet firmly planted on the ground. How long can someone go without sleep? You surmised that using the studio would only tire you out and until this no sleep crusade was over, you had to avoid dancing at all costs. Easier said than done.  
"How long can a human survive without sleep?" Kiibo started.  
"Around 11 days." Tojo said simply. "Though that's not necessarily staple for all people. Some may only last as low as 7.."  
"Around the 3 day mark we''ll start fucking hallucinating." Miu mumbled angrily.   
"Staying awake for only 17 hours has the same effect on a person as downing a case of beer." Ryouma added. "We're screwed."  
"I'm more curious what the penalty for being caught sleeping is... it wasn't mentioned." You said, still thinking of how to occupy your time without tiring yourself out.  
"Probably death. I'd rather not think about it... this is fucked up." Kaito couldn't hold in his disbelief anymore with the gravity of the situation. No sleeping? Even if you guys agreed not to hurt each other, what happens if a hallucination gets too severe? How would the class trial even work? A bunch of exhausted high school kids with the combined mobility of a can of tuna. You cracked up at the thought and immediately covered your mouth, as not to attract attention but unfortunately Maki noticed and did not appreciate it.  
"And what the hell are you laughing at? You think this is funny?!"  
"N-No No." You defended, taking a few steps back. "I just tried to imagine what the hell kind of class trial we'd hold if we're all essentially going to be hallucinating and out of it."  
"That's a very real concern that I did not think about" Korekiyo said darkly. "The likelihood that we would make a mistake during the trial is greatly increased when we remove something as necessary as sleep. We'd be an incomprehensible mess."  
"Shit." Miu said quietly.  
"The longer we go without a death, the harder it makes everything for everyone who lives!" Ouma added. "My, isn't that just terrible."


	6. Chapter 6

You and Angie found a bouncy ball abandoned in the hall of the mossy building. You played catch, sitting on opposite sides of the dance studio. Sitting and throwing a ball was the most fun yet least tiring way to spend your time. Angie threw the ball to the ceiling, making it bounce wildly around the room. You both ducked and moved to avoid the out of control ball but the person who opened the studio door was not so lucky. The ball smacked Momota Kaito right in the forehead, Shuichi behind him chuckling a little at the light cursing that followed. You were surprised that they even came here.  
"Shit, What was that?"  
"Angie and I are bouncing a ball." You answered quickly. "I can't dance with this 'No sleep' motive in effect'."  
"Which is awful~" Angie sang. "I'd much rather pretend to be a coach than play catch!"  
"So you're throwing a bouncy ball in a small room with no furniture in it?" Kaito asked. You nodded and much to your surprise he immediately grinned. "Mind if we join ya?" That only reminded you that Shuichi was standing behind him, almost as if he was hiding. "We came by to talk to you anyway, might as well play catch."  
"Sure!" Angie answered. "This is going to be so much fun! Let's make a game out of it!" Angie wiggled happily, just thinking about playing this newfangled game. " Kaito! You can be on my team! Come sit by me!" Kaito obliged and by default Shuichi assumed that he had to sit by you. You tensed a bit when he sat down, not looking over at him at all. You could feel him looking at you, though. Angie took off her jacket, putting it on the ground and making sure to create a nest. Shuichi mimicked her actions with his coat, which Angie seemed to praise. It didn't look like his jacket was enough cushioning so you removed your sweatsuit jacket and used both your coats to make a nest. "Good! Good!" She said. "The goal is to bounce the ball at least once into the nests! First to 5 points wins!"  
"Like beer pong but with jackets?" Kaito asked. You couldn't focus on what him and Angie were talking about, seeing Shuichi roll up his collared shirt's sleeves to his elbow. A small amount of muscle. Must be from those late night push ups. You tried your best not to stare.  
"We'll go first since Kaito has the ball! Each team gets 2 tries before they have to hand the ball over!" Kaito nodded. He bit his lips, doing some math in his head about the best place to toss the ball. You were watching him until Shuichi nudged your shoulder.  
"I wanted to tell you how everything turned out.." he said, still watching Kaito. Momota threw the ball, which bounced 4 times and barely missed you and Shuichi's jacket nest.  
"Fuck. I almost had it!"  
"You did! I saw!" Angie praised. You threw the small ball back over to their side of the room and Angie prepared for her shot.  
"Okay," You started, "So what happened?"  
"Well when I left your room, Kaito immediately tackled me." He admitted, smiling a little. You chuckled but immediately groaned, seeing Angie had landed a ball into you and Shuichi's nest. She was having a one person celebration. You reached for the ball, accidentally brushing Shuichi's hand. He didn't seemed to notice. He picked the ball up and bounced it off the south wall. It bounced 3 times before landing in Angie and Kaito's nest.  
"Nice Shot." You praised, earning a genuine smile.  
"Thanks." Angie whistled for your attention, throwing the ball back to you. "So, Kaito made me sit down with Kaede and we had a really long talk."  
"Did it all work out?"  
"Well, Everything's as normal as it can be." As he finished you bounced the ball, landing the shot. "Nice."  
"It's 2 to 1." You bragged to Angie. She clapped happily. Picking up the ball and discussing with Kaito who should throw the next one. "Are you alright?" You finally asked, looking over at the shy boy. He shrugged.  
"I still feel weird about it, but there's nothing I can do. I feel a lot better than I did earlier today." He admitted. He was about to talk again but instead gasped and ducked, just as the ball hit the wall behind him. He sat back up and looked at Kaito, who was snickering.  
"Sorry , Bro! Bad shot..."  
"Were you trying to bounce it off my face?" Shuichi asked, slightly concerned.  
"..... It's a legitimate strategy-"  
"Please don't." You couldn't help but snicker. Shuuichi raised a brow, amused. What did you find so funny? "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for all your help earlier....and since nobody can sleep I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with, Kaede, Momota and I." You hummed, thinking about his offer. Angie would surely be in her art studio for the evening. That would leave you alone and since you couldn't dance the night away, you had to agree.  
"What are you guys planning on doing?"  
"Well, We hadn't decided. Anything is better than nothing though."  
"That's true." You admitted, looking over just in time to notice Angie landing another shot. 

Angie and Kaito won your little game and the boys said their goodbyes. As Kaito and Shuuichi left, they heard Angie teasing you about losing. When they were a good distance from your dance studio, Kaito cracked his neck and knuckles.   
"So It's going to be a long ass day. What do you want to do until tonight?"  
"No idea. Kaede is probably playing her piano-"  
"UGH, You need to move on." Kaito complained. " She said no. You said yourself everything was fine-"  
"T-That's not what I meant. I'd just rather stay near as many people as I can while is no sleep is in effect."  
"You still need a new lady to distract yourself."  
"Well I wouldn't say that," The detective defended, shyly. "I don't need to date anybody. I need to keep my wits about me. This game's a killer."


	7. Chapter 7

Considering what he had done pre-reset, no one really spent time with Korekiyo. Considering he killed 2 of your best friends, you didn't even think you'd ever spend time with him.... yet here you are. You didn't mind the company of the Anthropologist. Plus, his research area was gigantic. You felt like you could get lost among all the books and knowledge. Korekiyo was on the lowest floor, reading a small book and humming every so often. As you made your way back down, looking around and marveling, the anthropologist snapped his fingers to get your attention.  
"Y/N.... May I ask you something?" You started getting down to his level faster. A bit intimidated once you approached him. He practically towered over you.  
"Of course."  
"I was reading about traditional Japanese dances and I'm curious to personally witness one. Do you know the art of traditional Japanese dance?" You gasped lightly, making him cock his head to the side.  
"It's been ages but... I have done Kabuki stuff before-"  
"Beautiful." He said, touching his cheek and just imagining such a beautiful display of culture and history. "You must preform for me one day. I understand that you would like to conserve energy during this 'no sleep' period but please promise me that one day you will" You smirked, seeing the man talk so passionately. However, how would Angie and Tenko react to you bringing him to your research room... or would he ask you to dance here?  
" Alright." You said, shrugging. "Sounds fun."  
"If you would like to do some research, I have books 2 floors up on traditional dances from around the world."  
"I think I might read those.... actually, do you know what time it is? I promised Shuuichi I would spend the evening with him and his friends." Korekiyo nodded and walked to a bookcase where he had left his tablet. He picked it up slowly, almost as if he was sad that you were leaving. Then again, you heard how his trial went. You weren't surprised he was a little lonesome being back. You almost didn't want to leave.  
"It's almost 7. It's probably been dark out for around 20 minutes."  
"I need to get going."  
"I understand. Don't be a stranger." He said, almost hopeful. You smiled, saying your goodbyes and heading towards the dorms.

 

With the Dorms locked, most of the people were loitering around their locked doors. You found Shuuichi and his friends standing by Shuuichi's door and Kaito waved to you excitedly.  
"And Y/N makes 4. Alright, Please tell me you have an idea because I'm getting tired and sleep is out of the question."  
"You guys still have no idea what to do?" You asked. Kaede giggled but the boys looked embarrassed, as if they knew they didn't think very hard. "Woo, Fun evening. Man I should've just stayed put then."  
"What were you doing before?" Kaede asked, still smiling.  
"I was hanging out with Korekiyo-"  
"Ugh," Kaito groaned. "That guy." You just stayed quiet, not prepared to have a conversation like this. "Now I'm glad you're here with us. At least here we know you're safe-"  
"You feel safe with Kaede." You spat back, almost without thinking.  
"That's a little different, Y/N-" Shuuichi had started, obviously offended, only for Kaede to cut him off.  
"No, She's absolutely right. You can't hold something like that against him. No matter how much you disliked his reasons, he has his own demons to struggle with. I'm impressed that you're so understanding!" She turned to you, thankfully not mad about you calling out her homicidal moment. You scratched the back of your head. Man, Kaede was just an amazing person. "So, Let's stop arguing. We came here to have fun and occupy our sleepless evening!" The boys relaxed, prepared to spend some quality time with each other and you couldn't help but feel like you were out of place in this group of friends. You wanted to spend time with Shuuichi. Kaito was a funny guy and Kaede was a sweetheart. They were so welcoming and inviting, so why did you feel like you didn't fit here?  
"I think we should make a board game. Board games aren't tiring right?" Kaito asked, earning a laugh from the others. You shifted foot to foot, just listening to them bounce ideas back and forth. You zoned out, thinking about what to do with yourself.  
"Y/N?" Shuuichi said shyly, regaining your attention. "Do you have any ideas?" You thought for a moment, biting your lip and thinking of what could be done. Wait.... Angie played a game with you before you had died... You really like it- damn what was it called! "Y-"  
"Partner in Pen!" You blurted out, finally having thought of it. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to yell-"  
"No, No, That's fine. How do you play?" Kaede asked.  
"Well, Angie taught it to me. There's teams of 2 . One person digs in a bag and describe the object the feel and the person they describe it to has to draw it."  
"Aw shit, I can't draw." Kaito complained. "But I guess then it wouldn't be very fun if I could. Alright, Let's do it!"  
"Kaito, You and I can go to the storage room and collect some random objects in bags. Then we'll switch bags and describe the stuff for Y/N and Shuuichi!" Kaede practically dragged the taller male with her. "You guys can wait for us in the dance studio!" She yelled back, leaving you and Shuuichi 

 

You were bouncing the ball from earlier, seeing if you could bounce hard enough to hit all 4 walls in one go. Shuuichi was just watching you, and ducking a ball every so often. He bit his lip, wanting to ask you something but clearly was fighting himself. When the ball slowed to a stop from your last throw, you didn't pick it back up.  
"Something on your mind?" He smiled, happy that you noticed.  
"I'm curious why Kaede wanted to meet here.... I was expecting her to call us to her research room."  
"More room?"  
"Maybe." Just as he answered, Kaito and Kaede came in, holding backpacks full of stuff and notebooks.

Girls vs Boys. Kaede was describing and you were drawing. Kaito was describing and Shuuichi was drawing. Huh, Shuuichi is left handed. Noted. You were both on the first object and the first one to draw their first object got the point. Kaito was struggling with his words and Kaede was describing the texture too much.  
"Ugh.... Round!"  
"Momota! You already told me it's round! Tell me something else!"  
"It has a..... plug?"  
"Okay, Y/N it has a rough cool touch." Kaede described.  
"Yeah, but what shape is it?"  
"ummm.... Long?"  
"Long isn't a shape?" You asked, laughing halfway through. Shuuichi was struggling to figure out what the hell Kaito had. The Ultimate detective only had one thing to go on: Round. He felt stupid playing this game... or maybe it was just Kaito. "umm, Does it branch out?" You asked, Kaede, trying to find out more information.  
"Uh, Yes- No.. What do you mean? It has a .... cave in... part-"  
"Cave in part!?" You were stumped. Shuuichi was regretting his partner choice. He already knew what YOUR item was but Kaito couldn't describe his! Was it a ball? An orange? Shuuichi was seconds from just snatching the bag from the astronaut.  
"OH, I think it's squishy!" Kaito said.  
"Wet squishy, Waxy squishy, Dry Squishy, Give me something to work with here besides round and squishy?" Shuuichi pressed, hoping to get a clear answer.  
"....What's the difference?"  
"I regret playing this game..."  
"OH! It ... It has 2 teeth!" Kaede said, finally finding a way to describe it. You scrapped your drawing starting over. A long, caved in object with 2 teeth-  
"Oh! It's a crowbar!"  
"YES!"  
"NO, God Damn it!" Kaito complained, hearing you and Kaede get your first object right. "Dammit, Saihara it was a sponge!"  
"How was I supposed to Know That!?"  
"You're the SLHS Detective!"  
"And You can't adequately describe a sponge! Sponges don't have plugs you ass!"  
"Then what would you call the little holes then!"  
"HOLES!" You and Kaede leaned against each other, laughing at the boys arguing. Shuuichi's face turned a deep red and Kaito felt a little emasculated as well. "J-Just do better on the next item-"  
"Scoot over, I'm drawing this time!"

 

When they switched, the game became RIDICULOUSLY unfair. Saihara described everything in perfect detail, not missing a beat. You did your best and Kaede appreciated it but with Shuuichi's abilities you guys had lost. Kaito reveled in victory but Shuuichi was far less in your face with his victory.  
"Oh Yeah! I was on FIRE. I didn't even know I could draw like that!"  
"You think maybe I had something to do with it?" Saihara said under his breath, smirking.The room was filled with Kaito's yelling, Kaede's congratulations and one other little sound. You were giggling like crazy at the astronauts bombastic attitude. Shuuichi couldn't help but smile. Your laugh was pretty cute.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone had to drag their bodies around the campus. As the sun rose on the next day the students could feel their resolve weakening. You found yourself walking the halls, taking in every detail of the dilapidated buildings and news aspects. You passed by the cafeteria and heard a small alarm go off. The manic inventor let out an annoyed groan.  
"24 hours!" Miu Yelled. "I have been awake for 14 fucking hours!"  
"You mean, 24?" Tsumugi asked lightly. Miu looked confused. Most likely the effects of being awake for so long. You shook your head, desperately trying to keep your mind working and your eyes open. As you walked forward, you slammed into Amami's chest. You let out a soft ow and the boy panicked.  
"Are you alright!? Did I hurt you? Are you okay!? Do You need anything?" Spastic. Sleep deprivation is even effecting Rantarou.  
"I'm fin."  
"You mean fine?"  
"...Yeah, That's what I said." You know damn well that's not what you said. "No offense but there's not enough happening here to keep me awake so I'm going to go." You didn't even wait for the spastic weirdo to respond, walking off and listening for the other ways people were keeping awake. Kaito was running laps around the building. Ouma was inducing pain by having Kiibo punch him in the stomach every few minutes. You decided to just sit down and watch Ouma get punched in the stomach. At least that was entertaining.  
"Kiiiboooo." The supreme leader complained. Kiibo nodded, yet again punching the small boy in the gut. You chuckled, loving this.  
"I can't keep doing this." Kiibo said shyly. "Y-You're hurt!"  
"But at least I'm awake." The leader said weakly.  
"I can't continue this. I'm sorry, I'm done!"  
"FINE!" Ouma snapped, "I'll do it myself!"  
"This ought to be good." You heard from behind you, Maki coming over and standing beside you. Ouma looked around, seeing a sharp rock on the ground. He picked it up, making everyone around him back up slightly. He took the rock in his hand plunging it down into his arm as deep as possible and.... let out a **really** loud and inappropriate moan. Your mouth hung open and Maki looked on confused as hell. Kiibo just kept staring at the now incredibly flustered Ultimate Dictator. He blinked a few times, thinking about what just happened.  
".... I just learned something kinky about myself-"  
"That's it." Maki said, throwing her hands up and walking off. "I'm out of here.""  
"That was something."

You ran out of ideas, deciding that there must be some ancient way that people used to keep themselves awake. Naturally, that meant Korekiyo. You entered his research room, seeing the anthropologist looking through his display cases. He seemed frazzled.   
"Korekiyo?"  
"Ah, Y/N. Nice to see you again."  
"Looking for something?"  
"Yes, I'm a bit perturbed. A dagger is missing and it's making my stomach effervescent."  
".... Um Definition please. I'm too tired to use context clues to figure out what the hell you're saying."  
"Well, A dagger is a small knife with a pointed edged blade-"  
"Not that- You know what never mind." You shook your head, walking over to the case and looking inside. There were so many old and interesting items in there, it's amazing he knows that something is missing. "You think that someone is planning to murder."  
"I certainly hope not." He said, putting his hand on his forehead, rubbing the sore points. "The sleep deprivation has given me quite the headache already... I'm running out of ways to occupy myself."  
"Man, that destroys my plan. I came here because I thought you had some funky way of keeping me awake."  
"I do not. Sorry to waste your time."  
"It's okay, I like coming over here." Before he could respond he heard the door open and into his room strolled Shuuichi, Kaito and Maki. You smile weakly but Korekiyo doesn't seem to even care that they showed up "Hey, You have any idea what can keep people awake. Maybe some nasty plant we could eat?" Kaito asked.  
"huh, Everyone seems to assume I have solutions for them. Alack, I do not."  
"He's speaking in riddles again!" Kaito complained.  
"Kaito, that was a perfectly normal sentence." Maki said, raising a brow at him. Obviously she wasn't as tired as the other two. Kaito was trying to keep up his energy and Shuuichi was simply dragging his body along, the rim of his hat pulled over his face.  
"Well, as I just finished telling Y/N, I do not have anything that can help." He gestured to you, getting Shuuichi's attention. He hadn't even noticed you were there. For some reason, he didn't like the idea that you and Korekiyo were in here together, alone. What were you talking about before they showed up? He assumed that this was the his fatigue.  
"Can you spend time with me Korekiyo?" You asked suddenly. "If you don't have anything for me, I at least need someone to keep me awake... maybe pinch me every few minutes."  
"If you'll return the favor, yes. I'm tired myself."  
"Neat." You said, slumping a little on the display case. Korekiyo let out a light chuckle at you and Shuuichi narrowed his eyes at the anthropologist.   
"Well we're going to get going. Have fun with your pinch party-"  
"I think I'll stay." Shuuichi said suddenly, making Maki and Kaito look at him. Honestly, he wasn't right sure how things were going right now. The entire world was so dark and slow. "I-I need to stay awake, too..."  
"Of course," Korekiyo said, "You're more than welcome to join us. Right, Y/n?"  
"Sure, what can go wrong?"


	9. Chapter 9

It wasn't eventful. You sat on one of the display cases, pinching Korekiyo every so often. Next to you, Shuuichi stood, every once in a while he'd flick you. Korekiyo , in between books, would pinch Shuuichi. It was annoying and awkward but at least you were all awake. You broke the chain by getting up and walking around, the 2 boys just watching you. It's not like they had anything else to do.  
"Y/N." Korekiyo finally said, closing the book he was holding. " How are you? Are you tired?"  
"I'm .... what was the question?"  
"Y/N you're wasting away. You're not going to last much longer and I don't want to see anything happen to you....."  
"I'm... I'm fine-"  
"Y/N I cannot continue to let you do this. There must be a way we can get small amounts of sleep inconspicuously."  
"We don't even know how he's monitoring sleep," Shuuichi spoke up, obviously groggy. "We can't risk it..."  
"I'll fall asleep." Korekiyo said quietly. That knocked you right awake.  
"Y-You can't! What if something happens to you!?" Korekiyo let out a little chuckle and Shuuichi was slightly upset, but he couldn't place why.  
"Better me than you.." Korekiyo said softly, making you shudder. He leaned back in his chair and for a few seconds everything was quiet. You weren't sure if he was asleep or not. He looked so peaceful though. 

Almost immediately, Monokuma appeared, banging Cymbals and stomping on shoes made of air horns. Korekiyo woke in a violent panic and the little bear laughed.  
"Nah Ah Ah! No sleeping! Don't let me catch you again!" The little bear laughed, hopping away. That sudden encounter had all of you terribly confused. Your eyelids have never felt so heavy.  
"What are we going to do?" Shuuichi sighed, getting off the display case and joining you in aimlessly walking around.  
"This isn't' going to end unless.... well." You didn't even want to think about it  
"We need to stay near everyone. Splitting up in these conditions was a bad idea."

 

You guys decided the cafeteria was the best place to go. You 3 walked together, casusually discussing anything you happened to think about. Shuuichi couldn't help but raise a brow, seeing how well you and the anthropologist seemed to get along. For some reason it bothered him. When you 3 got to the cafeteria you found Ouma, Angie, Amami and Kaito .... eating cupcakes. Tojo had entered the cafeteria holding a tray of cupcakes and iced tea. She smiled, seeing you 3 arrive.  
"You're just in time. I'm making cupcakes."  
"Why?"  
"Ouma wanted some. I thought it would be a great way to occupy myself." Tojo admitted. "Please. Join us."  
"Oh Hey, Saihara." Kaito greeted, taking a bite of a cupcake. "Have one, they're really good~" He slurred, picking up his tea and sipping it.  
"That sounds lovely." Korekiyo commented, taking a seat by Ouma. On the other side of Ouma, you and Shuuichi sat down. Taking note of how Shuuichi would glance at the anthropologist, Ouma let out an amused laugh.  
"Is there a reason you keep looking at Shinguuji like that~?" Ouma asked playfully. Sleep didn't seem to effect him that much.  
"Shut up." Shuuichi snapped back, making you look at him. Ouma just smiled. You were about to say something before the maid handed you a cupcake and a glass of tea. Shuuichi let out a quiet thanks when given his and kept his eyes hidden well beneath the rim of his hat.  
"So, how was the pinch party?" Kaito asked playfully.  
"It worked about as well as you'd expect." Korekiyo said simply, unzipping his mask to take a bite of the cupcake. He let out an approving moan and Tojo couldn't help but smile. "These are absolutely delicious."  
"Thank you."   
"They really are," You commented, taking another bite. A little icing was on the end of your lip. Without thinking you licked it off slowly. Immediately after, Shuuichi seemed to put his cup down recklessly, looking over at the other end of the table. You shrugged it off, not thinking too much more about it.  
"Y/N!" Angie said happily, getting your attention. "Have some tea! It's really good!" She said sweetly. Tea wasn't really your style but you shrugged, taking a gulp for the giddy girl's sake. She let out a happy laugh.  
"Where were you 3 all afternoon?" Ouma asked you. "Do you always take men and disappear for hours Y/N?"  
"Do you always moan when you stab yourself oh mighty supreme ruler?" You joked. Eyes shifted to the dictator who simply breathed in deeply and looked away. That shut him up.

 

Sipping tea and eating cupcakes. Everyone was having a good time. One by one, every one else seemed to arrive and the party had really kicked off. You had finished your cupcake and now you were just sipping on tea.   
"This is nice." Kaede said slowly, sleep desperately needed. "Great way to.... um.... forget about everything.  
"It is very nice!" Gonta said, trying to stay energetic. "May I have more tea!"  
"Of course." Tojo said, getting up.  
"While you're up, do you mind if I have another cupcake?" Shuuichi asked slowly.  
"The tea is really good!" Angie said. "Can I have another glass?"  
"Another cupcake for me," Miu said angrily. Hopefully, the anger was from fatigue. Tojo didn't seem to mind her callous attitude, obliging quickly.   
"Miu did you not like the tea?" Gonta asked, noticing her untouched glass. Miu scoffed, pushing the glass away from her. You raised a brow, noticing that Miu's glass was taller than everyone else's.  
"She doesn't like tea!" Angie said sweetly. "It's a shame. It's really tasty."  
"Yeah, I hate the stuff.   
"Can I get some tea too," Shuuichi added. The sweet treat was place in front of him soon enough, Tojo delivering everything that was asked. Kaito was trying to crack jokes loudly in an attempt to keep awake. Korekiyo was sharing stories. Kaede was asking everyone how they were holding up but many people were too tired to even keep up conversation. You sighed, leaning on the shoulder of the person unfortunate enough to be right next to you. Shuuichi didn't mind, blushing lightly at the contact At least now he was wide awake  
. The room was quiet for about 20 minutes , making the school bell sound radiate through the halls even more so. Everyone stiffened. Why is that sounds chiming?  
"A Body has been found!" Monokuma said excitedly "Everyone report to the Cafeteria." Was this some kind of joke? You looked around the room and everyone was equally confused. Shuuichi has sprung wide awake, looking around for anyone who loooked even remotely out of it.  
"...A ... a body?" Tenko asked nervously. "We're all here-"

 

Almost on cue. Miu's body toppled to the ground, knocking over her tea as she fell.


	10. Chapter 10

When the initial shock wore off and investigating began, most of you just fell asleep. You rested your eyes for a minute and before you knew it Angie was shaking you and telling you to wake up. The investigation should be ending soon? How long were you out!? You were still quite tired but at least you got enough to be sleep to be effective. You woke up on the cafeteria table, looking around and noticing that Kiibo was trying to wake Gonta, who had dozed off a little bit away from you. Beside him, Korekiyo was resting and beside him Yumeno. It seemed other people besides you would rather sleep than investigate. You looked around the room, noticing that everyone else had left.  
"How much longer until the investigation phase is over?"  
"20 Minutes!" Angie said happily. You groaned, rubbing your forehead before standing up and trying to think of everything that happened. At this rate, you would be absolutely useless during that trial. "Are you alright?"  
"I'll be fine... I'm sure we're going to count on Saihara and Kaede to rescue us all anyway.  


As you stepped up to your stand and the trial began, you felt a familiar lump in your throat. This place. This horrible place. You noticed that Rantarou was looking around, excitedly. That's right. He had never been in the trial arena before. The trial system would be an entirely new experience for him. As the trial kicked off, it was obvious that no one knew where to start.  
"So Miu was poisoned." Kaede started. "We were all in the exact same room and literally anyone could have had the opportunity to poison her." Shuuichi nodded in agreement.  
"But there are suspects more suspicious than others." Ryoma added, leaning over the edge of his stand. "Tojo made the cupcakes. Could have easily poisoned one."  
"But I didn't make the tea," Tojo offered, "Which would have been equally as easy to poison."  
"Who made the tea?" Shuuichi asked. Immediately, Angie raised her hand.  
"Tsumugi did! Tsumugi supplied the recipe. It was really tasty!" Tsumugi tensed, uncomfortable with being considered a murderer.  
"I-I didn't do it. Besides, I just left the pitchers of it in the fridge! Anyone could have accessed the Tea!"  
"Anyone could have also accessed the cupcakes." Shuuichi added. Leaning on his stand as well. The fatigue was strong.  
"Ahem!" Monokuma suddenly spoke. "I know the trial phase isn't the most exciting thing in the world but can someone be so kind as to WAKE UP TENKO!" Tenko shot awake hearing her name, looking around the room in a panic. She seemed incredibly confused, as if she didn't even remember coming in this room. Ouma snickered, seeing her panic.  
"So where did the poison come from?" Korekiyo asked. "Forgive me, I fell asleep not too long into the investigation."  
"The poison was stolen from my research room." Maki informed. "The lock to the Poison and Antidote display case had been popped open with a sacrificial knife. Which made me originally suspect you. However, Shuuichi told everyone that you, him and Y/N were together leading up to the murder."  
"So that's where that knife went." You thought aloud. "I remember you saying one was missing."  
"And you didn't freaking tell anyone!?" Kaito snapped.   
"Kaito, Calm down!" Kaede begged. "We need to pinpoint the time that someone could have poisoned the cupcakes and the tea."  
"It would have been rather easy." tojo explained. "Long amounts of time did pass where the cupcakes and the tea was unprotected. I left the extras on the counter."  
"So now we just have to figure out which one was the method of delivery." Shuuichi said, his voice being interrupted by a yawn.  
"Tired?" Ouma teased.  
"Do me a favor and be quiet, okay?" Shuuichi answered passive aggressively.   
"The tea could have been the method." Kaede suggested.  
"Not likely." You said, making her and Shuuichi look at you.  
"But her glass was slightly bigger than everyone elses. This could have been the killers way to distinguish the poisoned glass from the rest."  
"And that's a great theory Kaede but remember... Miu didn't like tea." She gasped lightly and the room looked around. "Remember. She didn't even drink hers."  
"So the glass could possibly have been a red herring. A way for the killer to make us look in the wrong direction." Korekiyo thought aloud. "Excellent work~" You blushed a little, nervous when receiving any kind of praise. You didn't notice the way Shuuichi looked at Korekiyo afterwards.  
"So what? Her cupcake was poisoned?" Ryoma started.  
"If her cupcake was poisoned." Yumeno spoke. "That narrows it down to the person who gave her the cupcake. As it would have been almost impossible without magical intervention to know who would receive what cupcake."  
"So, We're back to Tojo." Rantarou added. "She was delivering the tea and cupcakes."  
"I didn't do it." Tojo defended. "I-I would never-"  
"Well who else could it be?" Gonta asked, looking a little sullen. "Tojo.... You didn't-"  
"I Did not do this!"  
"She's getting awfully defensive." Tenko said lowly. You shook your head. Something didn't feel right. Something was off. You looked around at everyone and they seemed to generally agree that Tojo was the only one that could have poisoned the cupcake. You tried your hardest to think back. The evidence....  
  
  
You Korekiyo and Shuuichi arrive together  
The knife had been missing for several hours prior  
The cupcake had to be the item poisoned  
  
Maki said the Poison came from a Poison and Antidote locker in her research room  
The killer had to have access to all the food  
The killer had to be nearby at all times.  
Cupcakes   
Everyone was called to come get some...  
Not everyone...  
You felt you heart constrict... You know who the murderer is..  



	11. Chapter 11

Seeing your entire being drop, Korekiyo immediately looked to you. When it was obvious he was looking at you, everyone else looked over. You felt the entire world crashing around you. It's impossible. That's can't be it... Right?  
"Y/N?" Yumeno started. "....Are you alright?"  
"...I.... Maki.... Was the poison the only thing missing?" You asked slowly. Maki tried to think back.  
"I... I don't know... No other poisons were missing." Maki answered, a little unsure what information you wanted.  
"But that wasn't the only think in the cabinet right? All the poisons had antidotes." You said, a little more forcefully. Shuuichi finally realized it and followed your exact same train of thought. He had also figured it out. Seeing the pain in your eyes, he decided that he should take it from here... he could at least spare you that.  
"The cupcake was poisoned." Shuuichi started, a new fire in his chest. "But we're assuming that the cupcake had to be poisoned BEFORE it was delivered to Miu."  
"Um, Because it fucking had to be??" Tenko said. "If you poisoned the cupcake previously then only the killer and the deliverer of the cupcake would be able to tell them apart! Either way you slice it, that makes Tojo the murderer!"  
"Hear me out," He said quickly. "What if the cupcake was poisoned from the beginning?"  
"You mean, like the killing was random!?" Tsumugi panicked. "So the dead person could have been any one of us!?"  
"That is a possibility but.... I have an even more..... Well...."  
"Shuuichi?" Kaede started nervously. "What are you thinking?" He took in a deep breath. He saw you hugging yourself, shaking a little. He knew it. He was on the right track.  
"I think All of the cupcakes were poisoned."  
"WHAT!?" Kaito said in a panic. "You think were were all poisoned!?"  
"So why aren't we all dead, smart guy?" Ryoma asked, raising a brow.  
"B-But, Why?" Kiibo said, shifting foot to foot. Everyone was in a panic. Shuuichi and Kaede tried their best to calm everyone. Based on your nervous reactions, Shuuichi knew he was doing this right.  
"Think about it," Shuuichi started. "We all stumbled upon Tojo serving cupcakes randomly. We weren't invited. The killer didn't want to risk pulling this trick with too many people."  
"I see." Korekiyo said simply. "So we can rule out anyone who arrived late."  
"Ouma wanted the Cupcakes right?" Kaede asked Tojo. She nodded.  
"Yes. Kokichi was having a craving for something sweet, he went around canvassing the others for ideas. I told him I'd make him anything he wanted."  
"Oh!" Ouma started. "Nishishi, are you suspecting me Kaede?" He asked coyly. "With proof I hope~"  
"Ouma shut the hell up!" Tenko piped up. "You're the one who started this whole scenario. It's obvious now, I should have known."  
"I don't think Ouma did it either," Shuuichi said, taking control of the room again.   
"Please explain how we were all fucking poisoned. Can we go back to that shocking revelation?" Kaito asked, a tad annoyed. "We're all still alive!"  
"Well, the cabinet didn't only have poisons. It had the antidotes as well. We were all given the antidote."  
"What the heck are you talking about?" Yumeno started. "I think we would have all remembered having to take an antidote."  
"What if it was in the tea?" Shuuichi started. "The tea that Miu didn't drink." Everyone just looked at each other, thinking back. Did I drink the tea? Everyone tried to remember if they had some or not. Shuuichi decided to continue on. "All the cupcakes were poisoned but all the tea had the antidote. The killer knew that Miu did not like tea and that she wouldn't drink it.... To be honest... I suspected Ouma too... but i know who the killer is... You gave yourself away..." He felt like it was harder to breathe. You were looking right at him, your heart beating out of your chest. Your eyes met. You both knew. You felt tears pricking the corners of your eyes. Seeing you cry made Shuuichi's heart ache. "Y-You gave yourself away because.... Y/N doesn't like tea either.... I remember that from pre-reset... but you couldn't risk Y/N getting hurt.... could you Angie?" 

You were on your knees in your stand, staring directly at the ground and just letting out your frustration in broken sobs. A twinge of regret pierced your best friend.  
"...Y/n... don't cry..." She pleaded lightly "Please..."  
"You want to share your train of thought Shuuichi?" Tenko argued. "Why Angie! Angie would never hurt anyone!"  
"I don't have a motive but It makes sense." Shuuichi started. "Y/N spend a lot of time with Korekiyo. It would be easy for Angie to come across his dagger. If Angie knew about something like cupcakes, knowing the sweet tooth her best friend has, don't you think she would have gone to get Y/N?" He argued. Tenko looked to Angie, who's eyes were still glued on you. "When Y/N ended up showing up when everyone was having cupcakes, Angie just kept pushing the tea on everyone as slyly as possible except when it came to Y/N. She outright told Y/N to drink it."   
"....Angie?" Tenko asked suddenly. "S-Say something." Angie was just standing there. Staring at you. She frowned lightly, hating the image of you crying over her. Her breathing was slight. As her friends yelled around her she just kept looking at you. The whole room fell silent again when you stood, looking at the artist.  
"...Why?" You said softly. "Why would you do something like that.... TELL ME!" You screamed, trying to hold back your emotions.  
"...I didn't steal the knife." She said lowly, adding clarity to this mystery. "At least not from Korekiyo..... I stole it from Miu..... She was going to go after you." Angie said softly. ".... I remember thinking that 'I know. I caught her'. I thought her trial would be so easy and she could be executed....but that would mean that you were gone..... and no matter how many times this twisted game resets... God reminded me that you're the best friend I have.... and I could never let you die." She kept eye contact with you the entire time, smiling lightly. "I don't regret this... I was caught... that's fine... You're still here and that was my goal from the beginning...."  
"WELL!" Monokuma started. "I think that about wraps this UP! VOTING TIME!" He announced happily, his kids providing small amounts of dialogue along side him. You panicked. She didn't deserve this. Everyone voted so confidently but you couldn't do it. You can't do this! She did it to protect you. You didn't notice Korekiyo lean over and press the button for you. You would have been glad he did. You weren't strong enough to do it yourself. She just kept smiling at you. Even as she was dragged out of the courtroom she smiled. You will never forget the last thing she said to you.

 

"If I have any last request... I want you to tell him how you feel."


	12. Chapter 12

You didn't like sitting on the cold concrete but you didn't want to go anywhere else. The floor of Angie's research room was cold, even more so without her warm presence. You just needed to be here. You don't quite know how long you were there but you felt safe in this room. You know that someone was there with you, watching you from the doorway. It wasn't Angie, so you didn't care.  
"You need to go to bed."  
"Korekiyo, Please leave me here." You said, not moving or bothering to turn around.  
"I know it hurts..."  
"Korekiyo, really I appreciate it... but leave me alone." He didn't listen, walking to you as slow as possible and sitting on the ground beside you. How can someone be mad at someone with such innocent intentions. You were a bit wary honestly, considering his history, but you did not voice your concerns. He put his hand on your shoulder, just staring at some of her left behind work with you. "Why would she do something like that?" You asked, not expecting a real answer. "Protecting me.... even if this game resets a thousands times... I never thought she'd kill anyone...." He just stayed quiet, either to let you speak more or because he genuinely didn't know what to say. "I'm so scared... if Angie can be driven to kill then I don't feel safe around anyone any more."  
"Even me?" He asked, not looking over. You glanced at him, his eyes transfixed on some of Angie's pieces.  
"You'd never hurt me right?"  
"Of course not." He assured, finally meeting your eyes.  
"You wouldn't kill for me, would you?" You asked. He just kept staring into your eyes, almost as if he was afraid to answer honestly. He sighed, closing his eyes and taking one of your hands.  
"I cannot lie to you. If I had come across the same information that Angie had.... I would have killed Iruma as well."

 

You woke up, your stiff back radiating a pain through your entire body. You and Korekiyo fell asleep together, sitting upright and leaning on one another in Angie's research room. You had woken up a few times in the night, taking note of this uncomfortable position but doing nothing for it except falling back asleep. You didn't wake up completely until, in a daze, you leaned a little too far to the right, falling over and forcing Korekiyo to fall on you, since you fell asleep using one another for support. You stared wide eyes at one another for a few seconds before Korekiyo picked himself up, straightening out his coat.  
"Well, Good Morning." He said simply, extending a hand to help you off the ground. "Did you sleep well?"  
"I slept." You said, stretching in an attempt to alleviate what ailed you. "We were here all night..."  
"It appears that way. One minute we were talking and then I can't remember anything else."  
"Yeah..." You trailed off, looking around Angie's room some more. Last night was terrible. Before you could say anything, Korekiyo grabbed your hand, leading you out of the room.  
"Y/N, You can't be in here."  
"But-"  
"No, Y/N." He dragged you out of the room, closing the door and continuing to drag you away. "Angie wouldn't want this for you." Korekiyo scolded, which inadvertently reminded you of what Angie said to you.  
"That's right..." You said quietly. "She did ask something from me..."  
"She did." He said simply. "I do not know what she meant by it... but I'm sure if you wanted me to know you'd tell me. Now, Let's go get something to eat. I can't let you waste away."

 

You and Korekiyo sat down and ate together in the dance studio. A few of the girls stopped in, asking if you were alright. Tenko was mostly concerned if Shinguuji was bothering you. You assured her that you were fine and you continued to shoot the breeze with the anthropologist.  
"I'm very serious," You said, giggling a little. "I believed in Santa."  
"I don't recall ever believing in Santa." Korekiyo said amused. "It always sounded stupid to me."  
"Oh well excuse me."  
"It's not your fault. The legend of Santa Claus is often taught to children in an effort to make them believe that arbitrary boundaries of right and wrong can determine whether or not they receive presents at the end of the year."  
"Just when I think I understand you, you say things like that." He chuckled, enjoying your confusion.  
"Let me explain it another way... It's alright. A lot of dumb kids believed in Santa."  
"Hey!" The anthropologist enjoyed your frustration, taking note of what triggered you and what made you laugh. He was about to speak again but there was a knock at the studio door. You invited them in, not bothering to ask who it was first and Saihara poked his head in the door. You could tell he was not alone, but whoever was with him did not make themselves known.  
"Y/N."  
"Hi, Saihara." You said sweetly.  
"I'm just checking to see if you're alright... I haven't seen you since last night." He asked, nervously glancing at Korekiyo every few seconds. Korekiyo raised a brow at this behavior. It was almost as if Shuuichi didn't want him to be there.  
"I'm fine. Shinguuji has been keeping me company."  
"Oh, Okay... Well, If you need to talk you can just... stop by my research room." He said, a little more shakily than he wanted. You blushed but powered through your own nerves and nodded. He excused himself, trying not to make the situation awkward and quickly left.  
"Oh." Korekiyo said, intrigued.   
"What?"  
"I understand what Angie's last request was referring to..." Korekiyo said smugly, you immediately went defensive, snapping back at him.  
"And what the hell do you know!"  
"I know humans. I know human interaction. I know human behavior. It's quite obvious that you like Shuuichi-"  
"No it isn't!"  
"I saw that blush." He teased. "Angie wanted you to tell him?" There was no use fighting it. He knows.  
"Yeah, she did. She was always urging me to tell him...."  
"Are you convinced your feelings are unrequited or are you just scared to start a relationship under these conditions?"  
"Both I guess?"  
"I believe Angie is right. You should tell him."

 

Kaito and Shuuichi spent their free time just wandering around. After visiting you, they didn't really know what to do. Momota was a little upset with Saihara... okay, a lot.  
"Why didn't you ask her?" Momota finally asked. "You heard what Angie said, you see the way she looks at you. You have to be the one Angie was talking about."  
"I thought that too, I did... but she was with Korekiyo ..." He said, looking up to the sky of their prison. "I don't... What if it's Korekiyo?"  
"Well, ask anyway!" Kaito said, annoyed. "Geez, you won't know if you don't ask!"  
"I don't need to date anyone anyway. My priority is getting everyone out of here. If the game can be reset then I've been thinking that we must be inside some kind of advanced simulation-"  
"Yeah, Uh huh. That's all well and good but I can feel it in my gut! She likes you!"  
"I have more important things to deal with. If this is a simulation-"  
"I get that you're focused on getting us all out of here but Y/N-"  
"Kaito knock it off!" He yelled. "Okay, Fine I will ask her but this is important! I can get closure with that WHEN WE'RE FREE! I can't be apart of this show anymore!" Kaito was at first put off by Shuuichi's yelling but he quickly got hung up on an entirely different angle.  
"....Show?" Shuuichi went from angry to tense, quickly dismissing what he said. "What do you mean show?"  
"Don't worry about it. It's nothing."


	13. Chapter 13

"We need to tell everyone." Maki said, juggling an orange in her hand as she leaned on the kitchen counter. "Tsumugi, You have said yourself that you did not know this game could reset-"  
"I-I didn't!" She defended quickly. "I-I have no idea what is happening! I-I didn't know there would be a reset when I volunteered for this!"  
"I accidentally let the word 'Show' slip to Kaito," Shuuichi said, leaning against the kitchen door. One ear was firmly pressed against the cool surface, listening for anyone who would happen by. "We can't keep hiding the truth."  
"But we can't just tell them," Yumeno started. "Telling someone their entire life they think they knew was a lie and that they're in a reality show is a lot to drop on somebody."  
"So we just keep playing these roles?" Kiibo asked nervously "I-I don't want to do this anymore! We've just been sitting on this information! We need to tell the others! There's already been a murder-"  
"I agree with Yumeno, actually." Maki piped up. "I didn't think about it before but we didn't really take the news well ourselves when we found out. How can we just turn around and tell everyone that the realities they think they know are fabricated?"  
"So you lost contact with Team Danganronpa?" Shuuichi asked suddenly. Tsumugi shrugged.  
"All contact was cut suddenly shortly after the reset. The last thing I heard was someone say 'It begins again' and the feed went dark..... I... I fear that what's happening to us now is..." SHe stopped, hugging herself and staring at the ground. Shuuichi groaned, running his hand down his face.  
"What?" Yumeno asked.  
"Do you think that we're being held hostage here?" Maki asked, finally dropping the orange. She seemed unfazed. "You know about all this, what happens when a season normally ends?"  
"When a season ends they end the simulation and let everyone go. Skills and memories are usually retained but... I fear that the longer we're kept here we might actually go insane-"  
"So why isn't it over?" Shuuichi asked, a little more angrily than he wanted, getting off the door and stomping toward Tsumugi.  
"I don't know! I don't know why it isn't over yet! You have to believe me! I want to get back to my real life too! I DID NOT AGREE TO DO THIS A SECOND TIME!"  
"Keep your voice down." Yumeno warned her. She walked over to the door and listened. "We can't afford for anyone to hear this. I still think we should be quiet about it until we know exactly what's going on."  
"I-I don't think we're being broadcasted anymore!" Tsumugi said suddenly.  
"What?" Shuuichi raised a brow. Everyone seemed to descend upon Tsumugi.  
"I-I noticed that Monokuma isn't very active anymore. I mean, he appears a few times but not very often lately. The show pretty much leaned on him. People loved him! So... I don't think that this simulation is being broadcast anywhere."  
"She has a point. The bear has been less omnipresent." Maki said lowly. "Normally we couldn't have a conversation like this out loud."  
"So... What's going on out there?" Shuuichi started, leaning against the fridge defeated. "....Why are they keeping us?"

 

You were getting yourself pumped up, ready to tell Shuuichi everything. Korekiyo was there for support, doing his best to keep you confident and happy. You were just walking around campus, looking for Shuuichi. Kaito said that he hadn't seen him since this afternoon and the sun was already setting. You tried to remain positive and had to admit that Shinguuji was the only reason you were still excited.  
"Now remember. You are a beautiful human being. You don't need another person to be yourself. No matter what happens, you're still you."  
"Korekiyo, I really appreciate all your help."  
"Of Course. Y/N, you're such a beautiful person. I want only the best for you..." Korekiyo said sweetly. He actually took some distance from you after that, conflicting thoughts in his head making him nervous. "I-I have to go. Remember. Be confident. I have to go." He excused himself quickly, walking back towards his research room. You watched him walk off, looking at him talk to himself as he left. Kiibo informed you of his... motive. Everyone else seemed to avoid him because of it but you'd like to think that Angie would have forgiven him. She was just so perfect. You started walking backwards, lost in your thoughts of Angie. That angel. You secretly hoped for another reset, just to see her again. As you turned around to walk normally, you saw Saihara and Kiibo walking out of the building. With Angie in mind and heart, you ran towards him.  
"Shuuichi!"  
"Y-Y/N." You smiled, enjoying his nervous tone. Though, he did seem far more.... frantic than normal.  
"Shuuichi... there's something that I have to tell you." Shuuichi went wide eyed, shaking his head lightly.  
"N-No..." He barely whispered. You didn't hear him through the sounds of crickets and the rest of the bug's early evening symphony. Your heart was pounding in your ears as well. Shuuichi felt his face heat, already figuring out what you had to say.  
"Now.. You heard what Angie said at... the trial-"  
"Y/N stop." Shuuichi said suddenly, closing his eyes to avoid meeting yours. You were a bit put off hearing that. Shuuichi was a little conflicted. He did like you and he was flattered that you thought of him like that... but his feelings weren't definitive. On top of that, he had far too much on his mind. "I don't want to hear any more."  
"...Oh, I'm sorry-"  
"Y/n... I have to focus on getting everyone out of here. Whatever you feel for me.... I want you to ignore it for now." Not wanting to see the effects of his words, he walked away. He just left you and Kiibo behind. Feeling a tad awkward, Kiibo opened his mouth to speak but quickly shut it and ran off as well. You were left there. Speechless.


	14. Chapter 14

You didn't go see Korekiyo that night but his research room was your first stop that morning. You waltz in, seeing him organizing a book shelf and muttering to himself. When he looked over and saw you, he smiled, not that you could tell anyway.  
"Y/N. You look well."  
"Thank goodness... I don't feel it." You joked, smiling weakly. Shinguuji grew concerned and put his books down. He urged you to come close. As you approached him he took your hand and lead you the nearest place you both could sit down. "What happened?"  
"Well.... he didn't 'reject' me... per say... He Just told me to... wait I guess." You said optimistically. The anthropologist raised a brow, as if he just heard something unforgivable.  
"Wait? Wait for what?"  
"I guess he doesn't want to be in a relationship stuck in a place like this... Which I do understand! It was stupid to tell him anyway, I'm nothing compared to Kaede anyway-"  
"That's not true!" Korekiyo snapped, scaring you a bit. When he saw you back away he tensed, seeing that he had upset you. "Y/N, you're a beautiful person. We've talked about this."  
"You keep saying that but I have to admit that-"  
"Just stop." He pleaded, grasping your hand lightly. "Do not argue with me. You're a goddess in human skin. You're smart. You're beautiful. You're enchanting. Y/N do not let this incident upset you because Saihara is too preoccupied with the futility of escape to pay attention to the best thing that could ever happen to him." You had no retort for that. You just looked at him. His eyes, while creepy and intense, were full of sincerity. Still creepy thought. His hand left yours, moving to your chin and tilting it upwards.  
"S-Shinguuji-" He raised his other hand, rubbing his mask into his lips and then lowering the mask to his neck. There was a thin red smudge left on his lips, a thicker one left on the inside of the mask. You remember Momota talking about how freaky his trial was. You were confused why he'd wipe the lipstick off but you found out very quickly. He didn't want to kiss you with her lips. He wanted to use his own. His lips were on yours in seconds and you shuddered, either scared or terribly confused. You backed away, falling to the ground and making Korekiyo gasp. He pulled his mask up, moving to help you off the ground but you jumped up quickly and backed off a bit more.  
"Y/N, Are you alright-"  
"I Have to go. I-I'll see you later!" You ran off, not bothering to look back and wiping a small bit of smudged lipstick off your lips. You didn't look back but you felt him watching you run.

 

You didn't want to go to the studio. He'd find you there for sure. You retreated to the roof top and just stared at the ground below. You could see some people travelling the campus and it scared you that you didn't know where Korekiyo was. Then again, you weren't hidden at all. If he really wanted to, he could have found you by now. Obviously, he wasn't looking for you. Eventually you'd have to be the one to confront him and talk this out. Mid thought, you heard the rooftop door close. Whoever it was didn't say anything and you were too scared of the possibility of it being the anthropologist that you didn't want to turn around.  
"You okay, Kid?" You let a relieved sigh. The Tennis Player. Thank goodness.  
"You have no idea how relieved I am that it's you."  
"I heard."  
"You heard?" You asked, finally turning to see him. He walked over, sitting on the edge of the roof with you. "What did you hear?"  
"Ouma was talking about how Shuuichi rejected you... I saw you up here and I wanted to see if you were okay."  
"Wait, Ouma found out how?" You asked, kind of offended.  
"Kiibo told him about it. Said it was super awkward."  
"I mean, yeah kind of but it's fine. I don't care about that right now." You looked back to the ground, missing the tennis players confused look.  
"So... What's upsetting you ? If not that?"  
"... I don't want to talk about it."  
"Come on... You gotta talk about it with someone.. Look, If it's me and you just can't discuss it with me then I can get someone else. Kaito, Tenko, Korekiyo..." He noticed your shoulders tense at Shinguuji's name and that raised alarms. He immediately shut up, just looking at you. It seemed like it was quiet for a solid 5 minutes before Ryoma asked another question. "Shinguuji did something to you?"  
"I don't want to talk about this." You said harshly, looking off to the right in order to remove the player from your peripheral vision.  
"Look, we don't really talk and shit. I get that you don't want to talk about this with me but I can't leave you alone with this. Tell someone you can trust"  
"He was the last person in this game that I could trust!" You cracked, curling into yourself for support. "I don't HAVE anyone else.I had Angie and I had Korekiyo. Pre-reset, before I died, they were always nice to me! Korekiyo would tell me stories, Angie would always spend time with me.... I have no where else to go without them. I don't know where to go...." Ryoma stayed silent, letting you talk out your frustrations. Ryoma could see it. He didn't socialize with too many people himself either. He couldn't really call anyone here a 'friend' even after all they've been through. Your break down struck a nerve and Ryoma smiled lightly.  
"Yeah. This whole thing just sucks." He said, sighing heavily. "You play tennis?"  
"...Not really?" You said, looking at him slightly amused. "Where did that come from?"  
"Drama fucking sucks. When I get involved in it I like to delve in my hobbies." He admitted. "Tell you what. I'll teach you to play if you teach me to dance. I don't see anything wrong with us being friends."

 


	15. Chapter 15

"32 - love," Ryoma said smugly. "You are not good at this-"  
"I'll remember that tone when you're begging for mercy on the dance floor." You said, spinning your racket in your hands. He smirked and shrugged.  
"And when it's your turn to school me, I'll probably regret being a dick. You look good in a tennis skirt though." He teased, getting ready to serve again. "Get ready."  
"You know I'm never ready."  
".... Yeah." He smacked the ball. You were capable of hitting it back once but not a second time. Of course he bragged and you couldn't help but laugh at him. While playing, he didn't want to ask too much about what was going on with you. You needed to have fun. When you dived for the ball you smacked it out of bounds, headed towards the door of the research room. The ball promptly hit Kaito square in the forehead.  
"Ah Fuck! Every fucking time!" He complained, making Shuuichi, who entered behind him, laugh. "Yo, Ryoma were gathering everybody. Bear's got a motive."  
"Yeah, hang on. I want to win by more-"  
"You're already destroying me!" You complained, making Ryoma snort. Kaito noticed you and grinned but Shuuichi stared off at the ground.  
"Hey, Y/n. Shuuichi your girlfriend is here-"  
"She's not my girlfriend." he said quickly in a hushed tone. It stung, sure but you shrugged it off.  
"You wish she was." Ryoma defended serving the ball when you TOTALLY WERE NOT READY. You obviously missed it and Ryoma began to cheer for himself. Considering the burn he gave the detective a minute ago you didn't mind. Ryoma was a solid friend to you and it's only been 3 or so hours. "Well, I think I have thoroughly eviscerated you." Ryoma said, tossing his racket to the side. "Let's go see what the bear wants. Come on, Y/N." You followed him out of the room, all 4 of you walking back to the cafeteria. Kaito seemed put off by Ryoma's uncharacteristically bubbly mood. Shuuichi was just staring at the ground. You and Ryoma just continued to talk to each other.  
"You're going to regret setting foot in my studio."  
"And I am looking forward to regretting it, believe me. You have to teach me those sick air flairs you do. Those things are NUTS."  
"You have enough upper body strength? You don't even have enough upper body, Foot Fault"  
"Don't sell me short, dancing queen." You both snickered at the nicknames you gave yourself. This was... sudden. Kaito wsa beyond confused.  
"Geez, I didn't even know you two were friends. You're talking like you're best buds." Kaito said, scratching the back of his head.  
"We've been friend for... let's see...3 and a half hours." You said with a smile.  
"Seriously!?" Kaito said, scanning you both for an answer. Ryoma just shrugged.  
"She's super easy to get along with."  
"Korekiyo know that you've found other friends? Guy's kind of... territorial?" Kaito asked nervously. You lost your bubbly mood, staring off at another direction. Ryoma grew defensive.  
"She can have friends. She's not a puppet on a string or whatever."  
"It's just weird to see you without him..." Shuuichi muttered, barely above a whisper. His tone was unrecognizable. You all took it to mean different things. Kaito took it for Jealousy. You took it as malice. Ryoma took it at face value. When you all arrived at the gym everyone was already there. Korekiyo saw you enter the door but had the same deadpanned expression he normally had. As he walked over, Ryoma eyed him but didn't interfere. He'd never be stupid enough to mess with you in a room full of people.  
"Y/n.. Can we... talk?" He said, gesturing to leave the room for a minute. Ryoma turned to you.  
"You need me to go with you?"  
"No, It's fine. We do need to talk." You said. korekiyo nodded and followed you out into the hall. As you left, Ryoma took in a deep breath, a little uneasy about the whole situation.  
"What's wrong with them?" Kaito asked. Shuuichi looked over as well, interested.  
"I don't actually know. He did something to her and she got upset. That's all the info I got. According to her it wasn't serious and she just needed time to think it through."  
"Fucking weirdo." Kaito vented. "Why does she hang out with him?"  
"Friendship is fucking weird." Ryoma said simply. He just stared at the door awaiting your return.

 

You leaned against the wall, Korekiyo standing in front of you. He was much taller than you, giving you the feeling that he was backing you against the wall. He sighed, taking his hat off and wringing it in his hands.  
"Y/N... I wanted to apologize for my actions earlier. I understand if you do not wish to spend time with me anymore... I did not mean to be so forward.."  
"It's fine-"  
"Do not dismiss this. I forced myself on you and-"  
"When you say it like that it sounds terrible," you laughed nervously. "It wasn't that bad..."  
"Regardless... I made you uncomfortable and I did not mean to push you away... I don't want to lose you." Again, Korekiyo closed in on you, cupping your cheek in his hand. You gulped nervously.  
"...It's alright...Korekiyo, You're um-"  
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to kiss you I just... You were so close and... you remind me so much of her." He said somberly. "I just know she'd love you." You tensed, now incredibly uncomfortable with these advances. As you were about to speak the gym door opened and Ryoma peered out. Korekiyo stepped away from you but Ryoma saw enough.  
"Come on, Motive time." He said causally, ushering you both in the gym. Korekiyo entered ahead of you, allowing Ryoma to catch you alone. "I know he's your friend but you don't have to let him get that close."  
"I'm a little scared honestly." You said shyly, The tennis player groaned, biting his lip. "I think i should stay away from him for a while..."  
"So do I... but I'm here for you, Kid."


	16. Chapter 16

"Pupupupu! So I think you all have had enough time to grieve! Now it's time to give you something else to grieve about!" The bear looked down at the remaining students, chuckling darkly to himself. "So! By now, you've probably figured out that something ain't right! You're obviously not in the real world, seeing as some of you totally died! Well, that leads me to our latest motive! You see, Simulations can be prisons... and they can be paradise. So the next person to commit murder will get 6 hours of this simulation all to themselves!"  
"What?" You heard Rantarou whisper to himself.  
"That's right! We will shut down everyone else for 6 whole hours, essentially putting them into a temporary coma and reprogram the simulation to give you what you've always wanted. That's right! Anything your heart desires for 6 whole hours~ Oh La la!" The bear wiggled seductively and his children chatted excitedly. That's quite the prize. The bear scanned the room, ready to throw distrust among the group. "This will come in handy if you, let's say, want to see what it would be like to date a certain someone for a few hours, maybe see a loved one again, travel the galaxy. The possibilities are endless!" You glanced over at Kaito. Unfortunately he noticed you and immediately looked back at you disgusted. You looked away, looking around the room at everyone else. The Bear and hsi offspring bid you all adieu and the accusing began almost immediately.  
"I think we should lock Shinguuji's creepy ass up somewhere." Tenko said quickly. "Clearly he's a menace-"  
"Wait a second," You cut in, quick to take Korekiyo's side, despite the recent falling out. He admired your dedication. "6 hours of anything we want is a motive that any one of you could kill for. We can't single anyone out."  
"Y/N is right," Kaede said simply, pounding her fist into her hand. "No one is more suspicious than anyone else in this circumstance. We all probably have our own idea's of what we'd do with 6 hours."  
"Oh do we?" Ouma said, about to start some shit. You groaned, not ready for anything he had to say. "So what's your fantasy Akamatsu? What would you do with 6 hours?" She gasped, fiddling with her fingers and mumbling together some words, ultimately stating that she had no idea. Ouma smirked. "See? You don't know what you'd do with 6 hours. I don't know what I'd do with 6 hours. However, there are a few people in here who probably not only have an idea but are dead set on it." Ouma turned to Korekiyo, ignoring the glare he was getting in return. "I bet the first thing you thought of was seeing your sister again!" Ouma teased. "We were all thinking it. That's obviously what you'd do. Hands down! I bet you wouldn't even think twice about it." Korekiyo remained silent, still looking at Ouma. Ouma's gaze then turned to you. "And you,"  
"Oh I'd love to hear what you think I'd do with 6 hours. I do what I love every day, I don't need a simulation to myself for it." You bragged, hands on your hips.  
"Mm hm. I know. You can dance in your studio all day long! Then again," He started, stroking his chin. "Maybe you want a simulation to see what 6 hours of dating Saihara would be like?"  
"You're kidding?" You snickered a bit. "That's the best you've got?"  
"We all know he turned you down."  
"He didn't turn her down!" Kaito piped up, making Shuuichi looked up at him in disbelief. "H-He probably just wanted to think about the pros and cons of dating for a while-"  
"I turned her down." Shuuichi said darkly, making Kaito give him a dumbfounded expression. You have to admit, hearing him say that hurt a little bit. He wasn't very definitive about his answer before but there's no question now. He's just not interested. "I don't want to talk about this." Ryoma rolled the stick between his teeth, not liking that emo tone Shuuichi had.  
"Personally," Ryoma started. "I think that's a shit reasoning. Y/N wouldn't kill to see what could have been if Angst Central said yes."  
"Dude?!" Kaito snapped. "What the hell?"  
"Look I know you're really pushin' for them to succeed but She's a strong lady. I think she can do better."  
"I agree," Korekiyo finally spoke. "She's not one to hang up on the past. I doubt the detective is even a thought in her mind. Not that he deserves to be." You felt like curling up in a tiny ball. Everyone was just... looking at you. Your entire being fell cold. You were uncomfortable with them speaking so openly about you.  
"Oh!" Ouma said excited." Do I see a love triangle?"  
"What?" You asked, a little confused. It took a minute for you to realize that after what Korekiyo had said, he and Ryoma were just staring at each other. You swear you could see lightning connecting their eyes. "G-Guys-"  
"She was safe with you before," Ryoma started. "The way I figure it, since the game reset and you found out that killing in here wouldn't give your sister any friends that the safest place for Y/N to be was with you. Killing her wouldn't do anything for ya... but with this motive I don't want her anywhere near you."  
"I would never hurt her," Korekiyo said darkly. You shifted your focus between the two of them and it seemed everyone else just took a few steps away from you 3. "I will admit... she would love her. Y/N is a delicate and beautiful rose," He held his hands to his heart, breathing out with a loving sigh. "however... they're so alike. The way they walk, the way they talk. They're passion for what they do... I could never bring any harm to her. I'd go as far to say as she's a perfect reincarnation... and I'd protect her with my life."  
"That's fucking creepy!" Tenko yelled, hugging Yumeno to her totally not because of fear....maybe. You hated this more and more with each passing minute.  
"Dude," Ryoma started. "Okay, So you'd never kill Y/N. That doesn't mean to see your sister again you wouldn't try to kill anyone else."  
"Like I said!" Ouma said, waving his hand frantically. "Ryoma I didn't know you were so attached to Y/n!"  
"She's a cool chick."  
"She's an angel." Korekiyo corrected. Cringe was the only word to describe this situation now. Sensing your discomfort, Kaede walked over to you, putting a hand on your shoulder. This entire situation was out of control.  
"The hell is going on?" Rantarou asked Gonta. The gentle giant shrugged, still dumbfounded.  
"Let's all just calm down," Kaede said sweetly. "Y/N, are you alright?" Her tone turned nervous, probably because of how Korekiyo and Ryoma were glaring at one another.   
"I'm just really uncomfortable right now-"  
"Sorry." Ryoma said quickly.  
"I apologize." Korekiyo answered just as fast. Their voices melted together and again they were glaring at one another. "Regardless," The anthropologist turned his attention to Kaito. " As the bear stated, exploring the galaxy for 6 hours would be an ideal dream for you... wouldn't it?"  
"You son of a bitch." Kaito seethed. "Don't try and pin this shit on me-"  
"Listen to us!" Kaede yelled. "We're talking like someone has already killed! This is ridiculous! We just got confirmation that this is indeed a simulation! What we need to do is figure out a way to break it!"  
"Exactly!" Shuuichi said excited. "That should be our focus right now-"  
"Oh and here I am pointing the finger at Y/N!" Ouma said fanning himself with his hand. "She's not the only one who was turned down! Kaede turned you down!" Shuuichi just stopped, being the new center of the focus. "Is 6 hours alone with a Kaede perfectly tailored to fir your needs worth killing for to you Shuuichi?"  
"N-No! I would never-"  
"Ouma, just shut the hell up!" You said, putting your foot down. "I have a feeling that you know exactly what you'd kill for and you're trying to distract everyone by shifting blame."  
"I'd like to see you prove that." He said sweetly, resting his head in his hand. "For now. You, Shuuichi, Kaito and Korekiyo are the 4 I think have exact ideas in mind."

 

When everyone slowly started to leave the gym you had a tough time deciding who to go with. Ryoma wanted to hang out more and that sounded appealing but Korekiyo's look alone could kill. Korekiyo wanted to spend time with you in his research room but Ryoma was incredibly against it, in light of Korekiyo comparing you to his sister. You opted to spend time alone and retreated into the Rhythm. Your studio was where you spent your evening. As the day rolled to night you kept dancing. You were at peace. You didn't notice that the night had fully taken over and while changing songs you heard knocks at the door. You weren't surprised at how violent they were. Knocking through the music was probably a challenge on it's own. You turned the music off, unlocking the studio door and inviting the person inside. You began to absentmindedly stretch, awaiting whoever wanted to talk to you. Much to your surprise, it was the detective. He shuffled in, closing the door and examining you. His expression was pretty unreadable.  
"What?" You asked simply, not stopping what you were doing. You were rather abrasive and the small boy flinched but understood.  
"We need to talk."  
"Look, Saihara," You cut him off, taking him by surprise. "No offense, but I don't want to hear it. I was more or less a background character until you 'rejected me' and now all of a sudden, Korekiyo's in love with me, Ryoma wants to knock out the teeth of anyone who upsets me, Ouma's a dic- Okay, Ouma was a dick anyway-"  
"Just listen, please" He said, starting firmly and then breaking down into more of a plea. You nodded, stopping your stretching and walking over to lean against the wall. "I need to tell you... why I don't want to date you."  
"Do I have to know? This sounds like something I don't want to know-"  
"Trust me... You'll want to hear this." He pleaded, locking the door to your research room. You conceded, throwing your hands up in defeat.  
"Fine. Tell me."  
"I don't know you." He said flatly. "I don't know you and you don't know me. None of us know each other.... You're sweet. You're nice and in real life you're probably the same way... but for now this isn't real and I don't know the real you-"  
"What the hell are you blabbering about?" Shuuichi took in a deep breath, rubbing his forehead to alleviate a slight pain.  
"Y/N.... I have to tell you the truth. I have to tell you what exactly all this is."


	17. Chapter 17

"Wow." You said simply. You were sitting on the floor against the wall, staring at the lights on the ceiling. Shuuichi had been pacing the whole time, basically telling you that your entire existence was a lie and you had no idea who you were. He felt a little bad, having to tell you something so dark after the day you've had.  
"Are you going to be okay?"  
"Who else knows?" You asked, ignoring his question.  
"Yumeno, Maki, Kiibo and Tsumugi."  
"And... You didn't tell anyone else?"  
"It's... an awful lot to drop on someone."  
"....So why tell me?" He sighed, joining you on the ground and also staring up at the light. He tried to pick his words carefully.  
"I didn't want you to think I hated you or that I didn't like you. You're really nice but... I can't date you.... Please understand, I don't know if you even have the personality that you've been forced to take on."  
"That's bullshit and I think you know it." You said narrowing your eyes at the light.  
"W-What?"  
"You've known this truth since the reset. Right?"  
"Yes?"  
"So why, Post-reset, did you ask out Kaede? Surely the same principal would have applied that you didn't really know her either." Shuuichi looked over at you, almost as if he didn't know what to say in response. You were absolutely right.  
"Y-Y/N-"  
"Let me tell you why you really came in here." You spat, getting up and looking down at him. "You felt bad for me because you inadvertently made me feel how Kaede made you feel. So you decide to blame your lack of feelings for me on the killing game. While you have a point and we don't really know each other, that didn't stop you from falling for Kaede."  
"That's not-"  
"Be quiet!" He gulped, looking up at you nervously. "You know. You can just tell me you don't like me like that. Angie's only request from me was for me to tell you how I felt. She probably didn't expect anything to arise from it. She just wanted me to be honest with myself! Instead you pity me and all of a sudden you want to make me feel like how you feel doesn't factor into this. It does!" You felt a twinge of guilt, seeing the detective shying away from you, so afraid of what you were saying. "I don't even know what to say to you, now."  
"Why do you even like me?" He finally asked, standing up and looking you in the eyes. "We didn't have a whole lot of interactions. Maybe once or twice. I mean, Kaede and I at least bonded a lot. It's obvious where my feelings for her came from. I fell for who Kaede was in this world! When I look at her I don't think she could be anything else outside of this game other than the sweet optimistic person that she is! I barely know you, in this game and outside of it! I know you like to dance and that's pretty much it. I'm surprised Korekiyo has found enough personality to fall in love with!"  
"God, You're pretentious! Now you're trying to blame me for liking you in the first place?"  
"That's not what I'm saying-"  
"That's exactly what you just finished saying! You know what though? You're right. What the hell did I ever see in you!?"  
"Yikes." You both gasped, looking at the door to see Ryoma standing there with his hands ups, behind him was Korekiyo, holding the spare key to your research room. "Sorry to intrude but I'm kind of glad we're here. Y/N, We both need to talk to you....but uh... if this is a bad time....?"  
"No, It's perfect. I don't want to be here anymore." You stomped out of the room past the boys. Ryoma looked back at Shuuichi, more confused than anything else. Korekiyo however was pissed, just seeing you upset in the slightest.  
"Hoshi," Korekiyo started. "Why don't you and her wait for me in my research room. I need to have a talk with Saihara." The detective tensed. Normally, Ryoma would say no but he shrugged, leaving the two of them alone. The Anthropologist leaned against the door, just staring at the boy.  
"How much of that did you hear?"  
"When we arrived she was yelling about Angie asking her to be honest with herself."  
"Shinguuji, I didn't mean to argue with her."  
"I believe that. Saihara please allow me to tell you a story I heard once long ago." Korekiyo paused for any indication that Saihara did not want this but Shuuichi sighed and nodded, looking off to the side and folding his arms. "I will abridge it for you, as Ryoma and I really do need to tell Y/N something important... There was a man who simply went through the entire tale to learn about himself. In his journey, he meets someone is trying to deny the truth about themselves. When they meet, they cannot stand one another. In the end, the man prevails and the other person learns that they don't have to be ashamed of their thoughts."  
"Riveting-"  
"I understand that there is a lot on your mind, Shuuichi but do not lie to yourself. There's nothing wrong with liking Kaede more than Y/N. She just wanted you to admit it.... not make up excuses." Korekiyo did not even give a proper goodbye, just walking out of the room after making his point.

 

You and Ryoma leaned against a glass case, making small talk while waiting for Shinguuji. Ryoma had stopped talking though after telling you a little joke. When you stopped laughing he just admired your smile for a minute.  
"Y/N, Me and Korekiyo had a talk." He started suddenly. "About the game... what Ouma said.. What Shinguuji said.. We came to an agreement."  
"You guys talked things out?"  
"It was touch and go for a minute and I'm not going to lie, he's a creepy bastard." You giggled, flicking the ear of Ryoma's little hat. "But all in all, I can see why you hang out with the guy. He's pretty decent."  
"Really?"  
"Look we became friends today and I obviously fucking scared everybody by how quickly I stepped to your side.... Korekiyo may be a nut case but he's a smart guy... He said that he was drawn to you just as quickly and gave me some long ass story about why... yeah, he talked my ears off."  
"There's a reason?"  
"There's a reason for everything. According to him, you had some aura about you that he just felt a strong urge to protect. I thought that was dumb and then I realized that's pretty much how we ended up hanging out. He said this far more eloquently than I ever could but he has a point."  
"I'm learning way too much today." You groaned, lying on the case and resting your eyes for a minute.  
"So, Saihara give you any trouble?"  
"How long were you guys there?"  
"About 5 minutes, but Korekiyo heard more than I did. I had a hard time hearin' you guys. I did hear him bragging about how perfect Kaede is. Sheesh, give me a break."  
"She is pretty great-"  
"Still a shitty thing to bring up when trying to let a girl down easy."  
"It did, certainly, lack tact." Korekiyo said, entering his research room. "Sorry, I had some other things to take care of."  
"If Shuuichi turns up dead, we know who did it." Ryoma joked.  
"The boy is perfectly fine. I stopped by the storage room to get this." Korekiyo reached into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook. "I ran out and needed another notebook for my research. It took longer than expected because Kiibo is guarding the storage room with Gokuhara. He says that in light of the recent motive, he and Gonta are making sure that they document anything that is taken in or out of the storage room."  
"That's smart. Anyway, I was just filling her in."  
"Ah yes. Y/N. For your sake, Ryoma and I are going to try and get along. We realized how... awkward... our standoff was this afternoon."  
"Both of us just want to hang out with you and that shouldn't be something that we fight over... might give off the wrong idea."  
"So we have a truce. Now, let's get our mind off all that unpleasantness."  
"So, Korekiyo," Ryoma started. "You ever tried tennis-"  
"Don't play with him, He's unforgiving to beginners!" You yelled, making them both laugh.  
"I have not. It sounds interesting."  
"Alright. Let's do this bonding thing."

  
"You just felt your ego deflate, seeing that Korekiyo could get a point or two on the Ultimate tennis player and you couldn't. They teased you while the 3 of you shared sandwiches. You pouted, hearing Ryoma go on about your wondrous score of zero!  
"That's enough," Korekiyo said lightly, patting your head. "We're making her mad."  
"Aw, well I wouldn't want to make the baby cry."  
"You both are assholes." You tried to keep pouting but ultimately ending up breaking into a laugh. Your peace was disturbed by the school chime and in an instant, all fun was replaced by fear.  
"A BODY HAS BEEN FOUND!"  
"What?"  
"Already?" You and Ryoma sprang to your feet. When the location was given out you 3 just felt your hearts drop.  
"REPORT TO Y/N'S RESEARCH ROOM!"  



	18. Chapter 18

You and the boys arrived at your research room the others were already there, judging you the moment you arrived. Inside your room, Shuuichi and Kaito were on the ground, hovering over Kaede's body. The bleeding crack in her forehead was dripping in between your research rooms floor boards. Beside her on the ground was a bloody crowbar. Shuuichi was hyperventilating and Kaito's expression was just panic. Upon entering your research room, Ouma let out a long whistle.  
"Well, look who showed up! Funny, we beat you here considering this is where you spend 90% of your time." You didn't even want to entertain Ouma right now. You just keep looking at Kaede's body. Korekiyo's hands are on your shoulders defensively.  
"Pupupupu!" Monokuma spoke up, appearing out of nowhere. "Congratulations! You definitely earned that 6 hours! To protect your identity we are going to knock everyone out right now! Now, to you innocent folk, You'll just blink and suddenly you'll wake up in your beds."  
"Wait, Right now?" Yumeno asked. "We don't even get to investigate first-"  
"Nope!"  
  
  
You have no idea what happened. It was just as the bear described. You were looking at him, you blinked and suddenly you're staring at the ceiling in your bedroom. You sat up slowly, hearing other people rushing out of their dorms. You hopped out of bed and out your door, tripping on Ryoma and sending you both to the ground.  
"Jeez, good morning to you too."  
"Are you both alright?" Korekiyo asked, picking you both up. You leaned against him for a moment, having trouble getting to your feet. "Are you hurt?"  
"I hurt my ankle but it'll be fine in a minute... I just bumped it."  
"I feel weird," Tojo said softly. "One moment we were just by the body... and then we were in bed."  
"Well come on!" Kaito said, "Let's investigate!" He shook, Saihara, who was standing to his right. Shuuichi was just looking at the ground.  
"So, Y/N!" Ouma started, leaning against his room door. "Where were you ?"  
"Excuse me?"  
"Well, her body was found in your research room and I find it pretty convenient that you weren't in your studio that whole time. You practically live in there!"  
"She was with us." Ryoma started. "We were all in my research room."  
"Oh, So now you all are good friends?" Kaito said in disbelief. "You really expect everyone to believe that?"  
"Actually," Tojo started. "They could be working together to protect her."  
"She didn't do it." Ryoma said darkly.  
"We made amends." Korekiyo answered simply.  
"Sounds like bullshit." Amami said softly, "We should be investigating rather than arguing. The evidence will speak for itself during the trial."  
  
  
  
  
"I'm kind of wondering who did it." Ryoma said, looking around the outside of your research room for clues. Korekiyo was hugging you tightly, making sure no one bothered you.  
"We're all wondering who did it, Hoshi-"  
"I'm not," Korekiyo admitted. "I'm more curious what they chose to do with their 6 hours."  
"Well, we were all together." Ryoma started, giving up his search for evidence a little early. "and we are probably the only 3 people who would even have anything against Kaede. I mean, we dont' hate her and we certainly wouldn't kill her... but we were far closer to it than anyone else. No one really had a reason to do this-"  
"That's not entirely true," Korekiyo cut in, petting your head. " I think Kaede was a prime target considering what happened this afternoon. Considering all the drama going on, She would be the obvious choice. Killing her could allow the killer to frame Shuuichi, Y/N, You or me. It appears that they chose to frame Y/N. I'm just tankful that we were all together during the crime."  
"Not that they believe us." You scoffed "They think you're covering for me."  
"There's nothing in it for us if we do."  
"There's nothing to lose though either," the Anthroplogist finally let you go, scratching his head in frustration. "This game's reset will just bring everyone back. I do not blame them for thinking that we are protecting her. There's very little at stake."  
"But we're not. She didn't do anything."  
"Then we need to prove it."  



	19. Chapter 19

As the trial began you felt immediately surrounded. Everyone just looked at you, confident that they were correct. You spent the entire investigation, for the most part, looking for some proof that you didn't do this but ultimately you came up empty. Your only hope was that there was enough proof to point the finger at someone else.  
"Alright," Rnatarou started. "Kaede was found on the floor in Y/N's research room."  
"She suffered a single blow to the head from the crowbar that was found by her body. It had half a bloody palm print and thumb." Tojo added.  
"The body was discovered at 10:25 by Kaito, Shuuichi and Maki," Ouma started. "By the time I arrived at the scene Monokuma was announcing the body was found."  
"First thing is first," Tenko started. "It's Y/n's research room. She spends all her time there... so why weren't you there but Kaede was?"  
"I don't know," You said honestly, "When I left my research room I only left Shuuichi in there-"  
"That's partially true," Korekiyo started. "When you left your research room Shuuichi wasn't the only one left. I was there too."  
"Shuuichi, You went to her research room?" Tsumugi started. He nodded scratching the back of his head.  
"I wanted to talk to her about something."  
"Oh, Do tell!" Ouma started, earning a sharp glare from the detective.  
"It's not relevant-"  
"Why don't you let us decide that." Kiibo said firmly. Shuuichi groaned, unprepared for this confrontation.  
"I went there to explain to her why I didn't want to be in a relationship with her. When I showed up she was alone. We argued for a minute, she stormed out when her friends showed up and I left."  
"You argued?" Ouma tried to pry some more but Shuuichi wasn't having it.  
"That's not relevant." Kaito started. "If they were in that room talking then obviously Kaede wasn't there yet."  
"That doesn't let Y/N off the hook." Yumeno said nervously. "She could have easily returned to her room after that."  
"She was with us after they argued." Ryoma pointed out, "We were playing tennis in my research room."  
"Korekiyo came by the storage house earlier tonight!" Gonta remembered. "He needed a notebook!"  
"Yes," the anthropologist confirmed. "I got the notebook after I had a short talk with Shuuichi. Then I joined them."  
"Wait that's right, you guys kept logs of who entered the storage room and what they took." You said, remembering what Shinguuji had told you.  
"Did anyone get a crowbar out of storage?" Rantarou said, "That would make this a hell of a lot easier."  
"N-No." Kiibo answered nervously. " Korekiyo got his notebook and Ouma got a few spare blankets but that's all."  
"What'd you need blankets for?" Kaito asked. Ouma just laughed.  
"...I was cold?"  
"Oh," Kaito was a little embarrassed that he didn't think of that and just shrugged back into his pedestal.   
"So where did the crow bar come from?" Korekiyo wondered, putting his face in his hand.  
"It was already there." Shuuichi started. "One night, Kaito, Kaede, Y/N and I played a game in which we had to draw objects based on our partners descriptions of them and guess what they are."  
"So you 4 would have been the only ones that knew there was a crow bar in that room." Maki explained. "Things aren't looking good for you Y/N." All eyes seemed to turn to you. Even your friends were growing convinced. They didn't want to believe it but the evidence was damning.  
"Anything at all, Y/N?" Ouma teased. "Nothing at all to say?"  
"You're all pretty quick to blame me," You started slightly hurt. "But I left Shuuichi in that room and he also knew there was a crowbar in there!"  
"I must admit," Kokichi spoke up once more, "Killing Kaede makes sense for both of them....so I'm conflicted here."  
"But Shuuichi would never kill Kaede," Rantarou stated firmly. "If anything, Y/N is the only one who would even have a motive."  
"That's so yandere of you, Y/N!" Tsumugi marvelled.  
"I didn't do this!"  
"Maki," Korekiyo started, giving her some serious side eye. "Why were you going to Y/N's research room?" Maki raised a brow. The whole room looked to Korekiyo. "I'm asking because You, Kaito and Shuuichi found the body together."  
"Kaito and Shuuichi were on their way to go see Y/N and they wanted a girl to come with them so they didn't say anything stupid. He said he wanted to apologize for embarrassing her." Maki explained.  
"I see," The Anthropologist narrowed his eyes at the detective. "When was this?"  
"Around 10."  
"So it was after the argument?" Maki nodded, making Korekiyo laugh darkly. "Does anyone find it odd that Shuuichi went to Y/n's research room to 'apologize' but stated himself that Y/N stormed out of the room. Why would you go to her research room to talk to her? You knew she wasn't there?" Shuuichi's eyes shot open and his hand slowly went to cover his mouth. The aura of the whole room went cold and Ouma let out a low 'oooooh'.  
"The chime didn't go off when I arrived either..." Maki reflected, looking over at Saihara in disbelief. "It went off when Tsumugi arrived."  
"The body alert doesn't go off until 3 or more people, excluding the killer, have seen the body." Ryoma added. "If it took one more person to see the body for the chime to go off-"  
"That means that the killer was among the 3 of us!" Maki yelled, her voice cracking violently. "Tell me you did not do this Saihara!"  
"Shuuichi?" Rantarou said softly. The detective was silent. You felt relief wash over you and you couldn't help but glance over at Korekiyo, who gave you a wink in return.   
"You want to tell us what happened Shuuichi?" Kiibo asked.  
"When Korekiyo left. I stayed in Y/N's room for a bit. Thinking about what she said... what I said... then Kaede and Kaito showed up." Shuuichi kept making little glances at the astronaut, his speech being disturbed by his emotions. "Kaede and I argued, I grabbed the Crow bar and I hit her!" He said quickly, rushing through his confession. Kaito looked over to him quickly, clearly scared.  
"You murderer!" Tenko piped up, "I should have known!"  
"Wait," You butt in, "You just hit her?"  
"Yes." He answered fast. Something wasn't right.  
"....Right in front of Kaito?" The astronaut, bit his lips and rubbed his arm. "And you didn't tell anyone?"  
"I-I... um.." He looked at Shuuichi, taking note of the boy staring at the ground.  
"Shuuichi didn't do it." You proclaimed, making the boy's head shoot up.  
"No, I did it!"  
"Shuuichi!"  
"Just execute me! I Deserve it!"  
" Shuuichi You didn't kill her!"  
"I DESERVE THIS. Stop Trying To Defend Me!"  
"Despite the fact you do deserve it, I know you didn't do it!"  
"And How Do You Know That!"  
"Because You're Left handed!" You screamed. Shuuichi's entire face just dropped. "I remember... back when we played that game together... You were drawing with your left hand... But the direction of the bloody thumb print suggests the person who used the crowbar was right handed."  
"...I-I don't..." Shuuichi let out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "No."  
"She's right." Maki said, a tear streaming down the side of her face. "So if it wasn't you... that leaves... Momota." Kaito remained perfectly still. Tension in the room began to rise. His heart was going a mile a minute.  
"What I want to know is why." You just kept looking at Momota. He just kept staring at Shuuichi. Frozen. "Why did you do this... why Kaede?" There was a long string of silence. The room seemed suspended in perpetual disbelief.  
"It was an accident." He said slowly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Well, not an accident exactly.... I was just so mad... the crow bar was right there.... I was just threatening him with it at first."  
"Him?" Ryoma asked. Kaito nodded, letting out a shaky breath.  
"Yeah... I was going to knock some sense into Shuuichi with it..... Kaede just...got in the way.....I-I was just so mad." His fist clenched and his explanation turned to broken sobs. "A-And even after all that... He still tried to help me cover it up.... I Didn't mean to do this! Kaede I'm sorry!"   
"Well!" Monokuma said, clapping slowly. "You guys wrapped this up in a nice little bow! Let's put this to a vote!" Voting was quick. Kaito was chosen. He continued to break down through the entire process. Monokuma announced his guilt, congratulating everyone for figuring it out. No one even knew what to do next. Korekiyo, however, wanted some answers.  
"...What did you do with the 6 hours?" He asked suddenly, making Kaito glare at him.  
"I didn't use !" He said angrily. "I told Monokuma to give it to Shuuichi. I didn't want the stupid motive..." You looked over at Shuuichi, seeing a slight blush appear on his features. You were fairly certain you didn't want to know what Shuuichi used it for.  
"Hope you got your goodbyes in! IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"


	20. Chapter 20

In the aftermath of the execution, everyone was walking back to the dorms together. You walked between Ryoma and Koreiyo, who were casually talking about who's research room you were all hanging out in tomorrow. Being the only ones talking, this conversation was being overheard by pretty much everyone.  
"I think we should hang out in Y/N's room tomorrow. You still need to teach me to dance."  
"I'll just watch." Korekiyo said simply. "I could never do what she does."  
"I'm excited to learn."  
"You guys are seriously just discussing hanging out tomorrow like Kaito just wasn't executed a few minutes ago!" Maki said, offended. You turned to look at her but Ryoma and Korekiyo did not.  
"I don't see what that has to do with us." The Anthropologist said, clearly giving zero fucks. Maki was fuming, stomping towards them, no classmate able to hold her back.  
"I know this stupid game can just reset but a little more empathy wouldn't hurt."  
"Well, I have none." Even you had to snap your head to Korekiyo after that. He didn't care. These people weren't his friends. Most of them didn't even like him. "Y/N, Are you alright?" He said suddenly, with actual concern in his voice. You nodded slowly, but he didn't accept that. "Y/n?"  
"....I miss Kaito..." You admitted, making Korekiyo tense. He felt downtrodden, being the one who upset you. "He was a really fun guy."  
"My apologies-"  
"Give me a break," Tenko said, mostly directed at Korekiyo. "You think I don't see what your'e doing you MENACE! Admit it! You do whatever she asks and follow her around because you're trying to sleep with her! Admit it! Gosh, Men are such PIGS!"  
"That's not-"  
"Actually," Ouma started, interrupting the Antrhopologist. "Your relationship with Y/N didn't get creepy until shortly after Shuuichi turned her down. Were you just waiting for her to lower her standards?" Korekiyo didn't respond, he simply rolled his eyes and continued on. "Speaking of which! Shuuichi! Kaito gave you his prize... what'd you do for 6 hours?"  
"I was Minding my own business," the detective said abrasively. "You should try it sometime." As you arrived at the dorms and people were going to bed, you were saying your goodbyes and telling the boys they could meet you in your studio. You'd be up bright and early. Before you could go into your room, Shuuichi caught you by the shoulder. Korekiyo watched from the door of his room, to make sure you were safe of course.  
"Y/N, Can we talk for a minute?"

 

You and Shuuichi went for a quick walk around campus, at least a foot of space between you both. He seemed embarrassed, keeping his distance and never looking directly at you. But this behavior didn't just start. You noticed it after the body was found. Of course, that means whatever was making him nervous had to come from his 6 hours alone in the simulation. You didn't want to assume, just in case you were wrong so you stayed quiet for the walk, waiting for him to talk first.  
"S-So," He finally stuttered out. I want to tell you... that I'm sorry.... for everything I said." His eyes were shut tight and his head pointed down. It was kind of cute to see him so scared of apologizing.  
"It's fine... I said a few things too-"  
"The only difference is that you were right." He finally looked over to you, his face flushed. It made you a little embarrassed to see him like this. "I...I was trying to convince myself that there were other reasons instead of just admitting to you that I didn't feel that way about you... and I'm sorry...I was just so scared of how I must have made you feel... and then Kiibo told Ouma what happened and of course he told everyone else." As he rambled, you noticed how he was walking a little bit closer to you than he was before. "Then... I told Kaito what I said to you... he got really mad at me and kept saying that he knew that I liked you... which was... true... I just didn't like you as much as Kaede.... So, He made me sit down with Kaede and go back and forth about everything I know about her... turns out I... I didn't know anything about her either." His voice was shaking but he was still giving a weak smile. "He told me to ... to stop being so dense. H-He told me that of course I don't know you... that when dating I'm supposed to learn about you... He started yelling at me."A tear trailed down his cheek and his breathing became noticeable. "He told me to tell you i was sorry.... to give you a chance because 'I won't know until I try'.... he kept telling me to just try this... relationship thing..." He said, his voice lowering to a whisper. "When I told him I didn't feel comfortable with it... and kept making excuses... He picked up the crowbar and.... You know the rest."  
"Shuuichi...."  
"So... I didn't want to just... try dating. I mean, it sounded nice in theory, the way Kaito made it sound...but I need to know if it could really work like that... so when Kaito gave me the simulation... I used the 6 hours to see what dating you might be like...." He trailed off, mumbling about eating dinner together, spending time together and his voice became almost a whisper when he mentioned that he stole a kiss from the simulation version of you. You can't lie, you could even feel your face explode into every shade of pink that exists. "I understand that all that bonding we did wasn't real... and the last thing real interaction was had was an argument... but I hope that we can maybe... try this? I-If not, I completely understand! Feel free to say no." Your stopped walking, feeling, Shuuichi grab your hand. "To be honest, If you turn me down I'd deserve it... but I had to let you know all of this. Please forgive me." You both just stood there for a minute holding hands. His eyes were pleading with you to give him an answer. You bit your lip, trying to determine the best possible answer.  
"I will have an answer for you tomorrow... This is a lot to think about tonight... In the past few hours I learned that My life and highschool talent are a lie and that you spent 6 hours with a simulation of me."  
"O-of course... I'm happy that you're even considering my offer to be honest... I was awful to you..." You didn't respond. The detective made a genuine smile, the sadness gone from his eyes. "I already thanked Kaito...I need to Thank you, too."  
"For what?"  
"Making me be honest with myself."


	21. Chapter 21

"Bull and shit." Ryoma said, stretching with you in preparation for his dance lesson. Korekiyo was leaning against the wall, reading a book and observing you both.  
"Though I would use less expletives, I agree with Ryoma." He finally spoke, closing his book with one hand. "It seems sudden that Shuuichi would have a change of heart. Then again, he got 6 hours to think about it so it's not impossible."  
"Don't date him. He didn't want to even give you the time of day and now all of a sudden he wants to be with you." Ryoma said, cracking his neck. "Sounds to me like he may have done a little bit more than kiss you in that simulation."  
"Well, I believe him." You said shakily, still a little thrown off from the amount of information you learned last night. You had been off since you woke up that morning. The boys had noticed but chalked it up to Saihara's offer. Korekiyo shook his head slowly.  
"You, also, happen to like him," Korekiyo added. "Of course you want to believe him. Honestly, your decision doesn't even matter. Regardless of your choice, Ryoma and I will protect you."  
"Yeah," The shorter male said. "We wouldn't let him hurt ya anyway so I guess that's true.... I still don't feel right about it."  
"Think you're loose enough to start your lesson?" You asked, grinning ear to ear.  
"Oh yeah, Let's do this."  
"Y/N, are you planning on saying yes to Shuuichi?" Korekiyo asked suddenly, a little desperation in his voice. Ryoma was hopping back and forth, getting ready to start.  
"....Do you think I should?"  
"I think you should do whatever makes you happy.... However-"  
"Just say no," Ryoma interrupted. "I don't like his turn around. Why does he like you more than Kaede now? Cause she's dead? That's a little messed up."  
"I'm sure that's not it."  
"Even though that's exactly what it sounds like?" The anthropologist offered. You looked at both of them a little offended by their suggestions.  
"Excuse me, I didn't know I was on trial here."  
"Y/N, we're just worried about you." The tennis star said. "Not that Shuuichi is a bad guy... it's just.... yesterday you hated the guy."  
"And now you're considering dating him." Korekiyo finished. He walked closer to you both, while you directed Ryoma to assume a starting position with his feet pointing forwards and to the right. The Anthropologist let out a sigh, looking at you with those striking eyes. " While I believe he truly did see the error of his ways... I do not like the idea of you dating anyone."  
"Anyone at all?"  
"Y/N, You're too good for anyone here."  
"Ow, my self esteem." Ryoma joked, trying to illicit a laugh from you. He was surprised though to see you look up to the anthropologist, genuinely perturbed.  
"Shinguuji are you jealous?"  
"Yes." He said quickly. No shame, no lies. He just said it. "Ever Since the reset Shuuichi has been snarky and rude. He's not like he was before. Whatever baggage he has has effected how he treats others and that is no excuse for him to treat you the way he did-"  
"Maybe he has a good reason-"  
"There is absolutely nothing that could convince me that-"  
"What if it shattered everything you ever thought you knew about yourself!" You yelled suddenly, making the man raise a brow. You knew in your heart that the stress had to be it. The Shuuichi you liked was pre reset. He didn't act this way before then."Would that effect how you normally treat others?"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"Let's get back to my dance lesson," Ryoma said nervously, trying to make the situation less tense.   
"What if you learned that the people you've stuck by this whole time are not who you originally thought they were!"  
"Y/N, What are you talking about? What did he tell you?"  
"What if he's just frustrated and he never meant to be angry ?"  
"You know what," Korekiyo started. "I'm not entertaining the thought anymore. I forbid you for telling Saihara yes-"  
"You can't do that!"  
"You really can't," Ryoma cut in, stepping up to Korekiyo. "She's a big girl, let her make her own choices-"  
"I do not trust Saihara anymore."  
"Look, it's a... It's just..... Korekiyo you have no idea what you're talking about!"  
"I'm protecting you. That is all I need to know-"  
"What if.... he needs to tell everyone... Everyone has to know... but not everyone is here. Angie, Miu, Kaito, Kaede..... I-I need to get them back to prove to you Shuuichi still has everyone's best interest at heart." You said, damn near whispering. Both boys looked at you, then at each other.  
"Y/N, what are you planning to do."  
"I need Shuuichi to tell everyone... then maybe we can all figure this out, you can find out why he's been so triggered since the reset and we can all try and escape!"  
"Y/N, What the hell are you talking about?" Ryoma finally yelled, getting a little confused by your sudden shift. Your mind was going so fast. You were sure that if you just had everyone and that Shuuichi could tell everyone where you all really were that you all would be okay. Last night you were force fed a lot of information and it felt so irresponsible to just be sitting on it all, not even able to tell your friends.  
"I need to die."  
  
  
  
"Y/N STOP RUNNING FOR FIVE SECONDS AND JUST TALK TO US!"  
"No time!" You yelled back, running up the stairs to get to the roof of the building.  
"Y/N, PLEASE STOP! I'M TOO SHORT TO RUN AS FAST AS YOU AND KOREKIYO!" Ryoma pleaded, trying his damnedest to make it up the stairs at the same pace as you both. "S-STAIRS AND SHORT LEGS DON'T MIX WELL!"  
"I need you boys to listen to me carefully!" You yelled back, pushing open the door to the roof. You quickly ran to the edge of the roof looking down on the campus. A few people were walking around. Perfect. As they both made it to the roof you dangled one foot over the side, urging them to stay back. "Okay, this is important-"  
"Y/N, P-Please," Korekiyo started shakily, "Get down from there.... I-I do not know what I'd do if anything happened to you..." You wanted to talk but your lungs were burning. You had to run all the way from your research room to the roof and for your plan to work.... well, you were scared. "Please! Anything you want! I'll do it, just get down-"  
"Korekiyo.... You're the only person I can trust.... I need you do to what I ask." He was frozen for a minute, his eyes pure panic and his heart racing. He nodded slowly, prepared to do anything you asked.  
"I am going to jump off this roof-"  
"Jesus, Y/N, What the hell!?" Ryoma complained.  
"Let me finish! I am going to die here.... It is crucial that you guys make it look like one of you murdered me... one of you had to be found guilty.... then everyone dies... and the game resets-"  
"What the hell does this even achieve!? Do you hear yourself!? Where did this come from?!"  
"Promise me Korekiyo!" You yelled, making sure to meet his eyes. He was frozen. His vow to protect conflicting with his overwhelming desire to do as you ask. He was shaking. He hugged himself, a half-hearted attempt to calm himself down. "PROMISE!" he flinched, making you feel a little guilty that you had to manipulate him emotionally like this.  
"A-As...A-As you wish-"  
"You can't be serious!? She's going to kill herself- Y/N!" Ryoma freaked out the moment you let your body go, allowing gravity to do the work for you. As you looked up you saw Ryoma looking down from the roof.   
  
The first thing you felt was cold.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I waited a long as time to kick start the plot because I'm trying to squeeze too many elements at once. This story is incredibly sloppily done and I'm sorry it degraded in quality. I will go back through and fix it when the whole story is finished. It wont be much longer.

For a brief moment, everything was white. It was almost as if you were weighted down and staring through glass. You blinked and suddenly you were staring at the floor of the gym. Around you, you heard groaning and cursing. Immediately, you were overjoyed. You sprang to your feet, almost falling over in the process and looked around. You wanted to laugh. You wanted to cry. You settled for some weird mixture of both and through your jubilation you were suddenly tackled to the ground. You didn't really know who tackled you at first but the Yellow and White blur soon registered to you.  
"Y/N!"  
"ANGIE!"  
"Y/N! You're alright!" You were stolen from Angie's grasp, Korekiyo pulling you into a hug. Angie didn't seem to mind, cheering happily at the reunion. Ryoma rushed over to you as well,shaking his head and smiling weakly.  
"God, You put us through hell, Y/N..."  
"Oh Man!" Kaito's annoying voice rang out. "I'm back!"  
"This is insane." Kaede said in a low voice.  
"Y-Y/n!" You gasped lightly, hearing Shuuichi's voice. He ran over to you, intimidated by Korekiyo glare. the anthropologist didn't let go of you, far too relieved to have you back.  
"So," You started cheekily. "How'd my trial go?"  
"Don't you EVER do something like that again!" Ryoma scolded you, "Do you have any idea how hard it was to set up a murder scene?"  
"You planned this?" Tenko asked, everyone beginning to crowd around you and your hug fest.  
"I want to make a plan to get out of here.... being here is effecting all of us and I'm tried of playing this game... I needed everyone to do this.... So I killed myself-"  
"You idiot!" Miu yelled, "What if the game didn't reset a second time and all you did was kill everyone!?"  
"Well, obviously that did not happen." Korekiyo pointed out, having a hard time returning to his calm natural state. His emotions were all over the place. "She's right... we've all been here to long-"  
"Pupupupu, And it will only get longer!" The bear said, his voice slightly distorted. His children were not with him and he seemed... more static in his movements. "You little brats cut the game short. You do realize, you are not in control here? Well, you might as well give up! There's no way out! Game over, man. Game over. So let's start with another beautiful semester!"

 

You gathered everyone to Korekiyo's room, it being the largest research room to your knowledge. Almost immediately, you outed Kiibo, Maki, Yumeno, Shuuichi and Tsumugi. With no where else to go, they spilled their guts. Everything they knew was poured out on the table. Some people screamed. Some cried. You admit that hearing every last detail was far harder than hearing the abridged version of the story that Shuuichi had given you. When they finished, they just shuffled foot to foot and looked at one another, watching people have complete mental break downs. Korekiyo was taking it hard and even had to leave the room. You wanted to follow him but Ryoma quickly stopped you, saying that in that kind of state he could potentially hurt you. You felt bad, watching him slink off like a depressed worm.  
"So.... That's everything..." Yumeno said shyly. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you Tenko... I was so scared that... you wouldn't take it well."  
"This is fucking nuts.." She said simply, staring at the ground.  
"Okay!" Kaito said loudly, clapping once triumphantly. "So... we aren't who we thought we were.... B-Big deal right?" He said, trying his best to sound confident. "G-Getting out of here is still our top priority right?"  
"Yes," Maki started, scratching her arm nervously. " When we all died during Y/N's trial... I noticed that for a moment before the game reset again.... that I was on a bed."  
"Oh hey!" Angie said loudly, oddly excited. "Me too!"  
"Angie are you alright?" Kiibo asked concerned, looking at the now confused artist. "Y-You do not seem to fazed..."  
"Well..." She started scratching her cheek with one finger. "The way I see it... I don't know who I used to be... but I totes know who I am now! And what' wrong with embracing this personality! I like myself this way... who knows... when we get out of here... I'd like to stay this way!" She practically cheered. The sobbing and confusion of the room grew quiet and Angie's words just sunk in. It was silent for quite some time and a sense of courage and triumph began to fill the room.  
"She's right." Kaede said, a smile piercing her despair. "She's absolutely right... I'd like to think that.. we're all still good people... Maybe even better than we originally thought! T-That should drive us forward, not hold us back!"  
"So what happens from here?" Shuuichi asked, looking directly at you. You bit your lip, having a hunch but not fully understanding it yet.  
"I think that each time it resets.... the simulation gets a little more messed up."  
"The bear gave a 2 second speech and disappeared. Some of the walls have changed colors!" Gonta pointed out. "Things are different."  
"You think we're breaking the simulation... by dying?" Rantarou asked, a little scared by the implications.  
"By resetting." You clarified. "We're going to have to reset the game more!"  
"Are we really doing this?" Ouma said sheepishly, not as confident upon learning that his life was not real. "We're just going to kill ourselves? Get trials wrong on purpose?" You smiled, walking over to the scared dictator and putting a hand on his shoulder. You opened your mouth to speak but heard a jumbled screech of feedback and mechanical failure. Then the world went black.

 

Through the glass. You saw the ceiling through the glass again. The difference this time was that someone's hair was visible through the corner of your eye. You tried to wiggle your toes, only managing to radiant a dull pain through the back of your legs and your lower back. The glass was lifted and someone was hovering over you. You couldn't even feel your facial expression, imagining that it was something akin to panic. The person above you was certainly panicked.   
"I need you to listen to me." He said quickly. He was sweating and glancing off to the side very frequently. "I'm Daizu Sanara, a programmer for team Danganronpa. Help is on the way for you." He was nodding quickly, his fingers tapping impatiently on the glass lid he lifted from you. "Our CEO is crazy. We don't have the funding for another season. That means your season is the last one... He doesn't want it to end!" You tried to speak, a ragged breath was the only thing to escape from you. He promptly shushed you, looking back over his shoulder. "Miguuji Saiaka, my boss, I know he's going to kill me for freeing you but I had to let you know. My and my coworkers are working to free you all. You just have to last a little longer. Play the game normally until then. Please. If he knows you all are planning to escape he'll just come in here and kill all of you. He's already killed the programmer who controls Monukuma and the kubs. He's forced to take on the job himself. He's not in the office right now and the feed is live at all times....so you have about 20 minutes when you reenter the simulation to tell everyone what I just told you. If he hears you, you're all dead. This talk of escape has to stop. I hope you caught all that." You couldn't even signal in anyway that you understood. He pricked something into your head and the glass dome was put back about you. When his hair left your peripheral vision all you could see was white ceiling again.You started blinking, waiting for the white to change to something else. 

Eventually you woke up in your bed, with your concerned friends crowded around you.


	23. Chapter 23

It was... difficult, to say the least, to explain everything that you could remember. You noticed during your explanation that Korekiyo was not present. The moment you were free, you went looking for him. Ryoma wanted to go with you but you refused. Angie wanted to follow also and turning her down was a little harder, considering you had just reunited. You wanted to do this alone, thinking it would be better that way.  
You searched every inch of his research room but there wasn't a trace of him. You looked in the library, the cafeteria and the gym. Nothing. While wondering the halls of the campus, the sun just beginning to go down, you say a tall figure staring out the window in the final glow of the sun. You ran to him and he did not bother to look over. He was staring, very intently out the window, his mask around his neck and his lipstick smudged mostly away. The closer you got, the more broken he looked. You grew uneasy seeing his tear abused cheeks up close.  
"....Shinguuji.." He didn't say anything. You walked a little closer, standing beside him and trying to find out what he was looking at. You looked all around the campus to see what may have caught his eye. He glanced over, noticing that you were looking around and oddly enough he smiled.  
"I'm watching the sun set."   
"Oh." You said simply. His smile grew and he pet your head affectionately.  
"You're so cute, Y/N." He said softly. "You and my sister are so alike.... at least I thought you were." His tone turned somber and a hand gripped your shoulder, clutching onto you for dear like. "Y/N... I do not know what to do with myself. Who even am I? Am I even close... to what I'm pretending to be? Are my feelings even real?"  
"Of course they are. Korekiyo, you're one of the best friends I could ever have... that's real. In this world and out of it."  
"I don't deserve you, Y/N... This world doesn't deserve you." You didn't know how to respond to that and decided that it was best not to respond at all. He took your silence in, trying to guess what was going on in your mind. "How did you take the news.... When you heard it?"  
"...My life wasn't exactly the best... I was almost relieved," You said honestly. "But it's.... hard... to think about who you may really be... Would we get along if we met under any other circumstance?"  
"I'd like to think so.... I'd like to think you are still a beautiful person. No matter where you are." He sounded so sure. So genuine. You leaned against him, staring at the sun se, damn near forgetting the whole reason you needed to find him. He was the last one you needed to tell about the game and the programmers.   
"...So.. Your sister-"  
"Please." He stopped you almost instantly, looking off to the side with a hurt expression. "I am trying to distance myself from those memories. They do nothing but hurt me."  
"I understand.... Hey, Why don't you, me and Ryoma go for a walk later... since we're all back, we all need to get along together... I don't want to trade any of you for each other...""  
"That...may be a bit awkward. Considering the history with Angie and I...but I'll try anything for you. Even if I don't have a sister outside of this realm... I have you and I don't want to lose you either.... was there something else you needed to talk to me about? I sense urgency in your voice."

 

With everyone aware and the game returning to normal, tensions were obviously high. You asked your friends to walk around with you, in an effort to get everyone together. Ryoma was smirking, seeing Angie talking with Korekiyo so casually. He seemed in awe of her friendliness, considering one of their previous interactions. Today was very overwhelming for the anthropologist, emotionally. As you passed near the cafeteria, you noticed a sort of crazy laughter and mumbling. Entering the cafeteria, you saw Rantarou, sitting next to a large jug and giggling like an idiot in the near dark.  
"...Amami?" Ryoma asked, urging everyone else to stay back. Rantarou had a goofy smile on his face, making you laugh. "You... okay? Man?"  
"I'm FAAAAAN TASTIC!" He said excitedly, breathing in a wheezy breath. "....Life sucks."  
"Yeah... So uh... what are you doing in here?" Ryoma asked. Korekiyo walked over, opening the jug and smelling the contents. His nose scrunched violently upon taking a whiff and he fell back, disgusted.  
"I'm just having a drink... since life sucks!"  
"You're drinking!?" You panicked. Where did he even find something like that? The crazed look in his eyes, while hilarious, was slightly concerning.  
"Wait a minute!" Angie started cutely, "That says 'Apple Cider'." You have to admit, you did not even notice the label.  
"Actually," Korekiyo said, plugging the jug back up. "This cider has turned hard. It's practically alcohol now."  
"You guyssss want a drink?" Rantarou slurred, leaning on his palm and spinning his glass with his finger. "Plenty to go 'round."  
"You're shit faced," Ryoma started, getting up and sitting on the table. "I'm in."  
"You can't be serious, Hoshi?" Korekiyo questioned, prepared to scold the tennis player. "Drinking is dangerous for minors."  
"Good thing this is a simulation and our lives are a lie." Korekiyo looked... lost. It was almost as if he heard the most compelling argument in the history of the universe. Korekiyo unbuttoned his jacket a little, taking a seat at the table and letting out a heavy sigh.  
".....On second thought... I could use a drink myself.... Y/N?"  
"I guess I'll join you boys... Angie?"  
"Nuh uh! I don't want that yucky stuff but I don't mind hanging out with you guys! Making sure that you stay safe!"  
"Oh, Angie," Ryoma spoke up, pouring himself a glass. "You're an angel.... Welp, come on, Bottoms up."


	24. Chapter 24

You were alright after your first drink. You were alright after your second drink. You don't remember taking your 3rd drink and you were having a ball by the time and the boys emptied the jug. You were sitting on Korekiyo's lap, laughing into his chest as Rantarou dazzled everyone with his impression of Monokuma. Ryoma was laying on the table, possibly knocked out and Angie left some time ago to do something else because you were all drunk as hell.  
"Korekiyo~" You sang, nuzzling against him. He laughed and down the last bit of his drink.  
"What do you want?"  
"Hell if I know, My brain is super fuzzy and I LOVE IT!" You threw yourself to the side, Korekiyo had to hug you to keep you from falling off his lap.  
"Y/N, Please be carefill."  
"You mean careful?" Rantarou muttered.  
".....What did I say?"  
"Why are you still better at.. talking and stuff?" You pouted, poking the anthropologist. "Are you sure you're hammered?"  
"Y/n, Your slurring is terrible, I can't even understand you."  
"Drunk!"  
"Yes, sweetie. Yes you are." He pet your head, as if you were some pathetic little mutt. He seemed composed but in truth Korekiyo's entire world was shapes right now. He was just trying to stay composed just enough to make sure nothing happened to you. "Ugh, I'm so...fuck it, I can't even think."  
"Dude," Ryoma started, giggling a little. "Korekiyo just said fuck....Life sucks."  
"Yeah," Rantarou said, sipping from his cup, which has been empty for about an hour. "And I mean, I wouldn't mind if life at least sucked me the right way-"  
"What the hell are you even talking about?" Korekiyo sounded annoyed, rubbing your back and mumbling about how stupid Rantarou was.  
"Hear me out....What if life sucked but like literally... so it was...um.."  
"Dude, what are you even saying?" Ryoma cut in.  
"I don't know, I've been drinking since the sun set, I'm smashed." Rantarou chuckled a little, resting his head on the table. "I love you guys."  
"Korekiyo, he said he loves me!"  
"Yes, Y/N, I heard him."  
"The fuck is going on in here?" You didn't really register the people entering the room but luckily Ryoma looked up.  
"Hey Kaito and the fuck bois. Fantastic." Ryoma started snickering at his own joke and you looked over, noticing Shuuichi , Gonta, Kiibo and Ouma were with him.  
"Are... are you all inebriated!?" Gonta asked, surprised. Korekiyo looked at him for a moment before cocking his head to the side.  
"....What's inebriated mean?"  
"Well Shit, we broke Korekiyo." Ryoma shrugged, gesturing to the jug, "Fill me up."  
"We've been out of Cider for like, 6 years, dude." Rantarou said, again sipping from his empty glass.  
"You guys are drunk? Fucking how?" Kaito scanned you all, nudging Shuuichi when he noticed you in Korekiyo's lap. The detective looked a little embarrassed and maybe even jealous but you didn't really care. You were just having fun.  
"Cider... it went bad" Korekiyo tried his best to sound like he wasn't out of it but it wasn't working.  
"Nah Kork," You giggled. "The Cider went better!"  
"Y/n, that's not even a sentence."  
"I said it."  
"Shuuichi your girlfriend is plastered." Kaito teased, making Shuuichi tell him to shut up and mumble about how you weren't dating yet.  
"I'm not plaster. I'm a person... sometimes..... maybe not right now."  
"Y/N, I should probably take you to bed," Korekiyo said simply. "We're out of cider, You're clearly drunk and you have no idea where you are."  
"Neither do you! Why do I have to go to bed!"  
"Are you going to make me say it? Fine. You're a young lady and you're wasted. I don't want you to get taken advantage of."  
"Ttthere he goes," Ryoma sat up, furious and slurring. "Accusing people again... Y-You stupid fuck- I-I would never.... take advantage of her."  
"I would." Rantarou said, clearly giving zero fucks. "You better put her to bed before I do."  
"My goodness, Rantarou?!" Kiibo panicked. "How could you say something like that?"  
"She's hot, I'm an asshole, we're both smashed. Match made in heaven-"  
"Okay, Amami, when you're sober you and I are going to have a long talk about sexual assault but for now," Shuuichi started walking over to you and Korekiyo. "I can take her to bed for you. Me and Kaito can make sure she gets to bed safely." Normally, he'd never even think of leaving you with anyone while you were like this but all Korekiyo's drunken brain heard was 'Less stuff for you to take care of' and he nodded.  
"Alright, Get her out of here.."

 

"I love your face, It's squishy."  
"Y/N, Please." Shuuichi begged, "Kaito and I are going to get you to sleep-"  
"I'm not tired!"  
"She's not tired, you heard her," The astronaut started with a mischievous grin. Shuuichi shook his head, holding your hand tighter as you all walked back to the dorms.  
"And I thought I only had Rantarou to worry about."  
"I'm not talking about anything like that. I mean, let's tire her out. I kinda want to see if her dancing is still expert level when she's shitfaced."  
"Kaito, that's still taking advantage of her!"  
"Dancing sounds fuuunn." You leaned against the detective, making him tense. Kaito just laughed and patted you on the back.  
"She wants to dance! Come on, let her dance!"  
"You. Are. Not. Helping!"  
"Shu-i-chi~" You flirted with the boy, nuzzling against his face. "Can you walk me to my studio?"  
"Oh, this is gonna be sweet-"  
"Kaito, Stop it, I promised korekiyo I would get her to bed." As the arrived at the dorm, Shuuichi tried to quickly hurry you into your room, Kaito following behidn him close and urging him to let you dance.  
"Come ON! She is hammered. She wants to dance!"  
"Friends don't let friends Dance Drunk!"  
"Shuuichi, you're thinking of driving!"  
"Either one! You're just using her for a quick laugh and I'm not allowing it!"  
"Shuuuichiiii~" You begged, wrapping your arms around his neck. Your noses were touching and the boy looked at a loss. Kaito was just standing there, obviously amused. "Why won't you let me dance?"  
"B-Because, You need to get some sleep before you hurt yourself-"  
"Dancing is harmlesss." Your slurring served to remind him of your current condition. "Maybe even helpful~"  
"Y-Y/N." He stuttered. You were so close. His heart was racing. He was not prepared for what you had to say next.  
"Want a lap dance?" Shuuichi just stopped working. Kaito was wheezing not 2 feet from you both but you ignored it, continuing your not so subtle flirting.  
"....What..?"  
"I said-"  
"Believe me," He cut you off quickly. "I heard what you said."  
"Do it."  
"Kaito?! How could you say that!?"  
"She offered!"  
"She's drunk!" While he was distracted you kissed the shell of his ear, making him tense up worse. His face was glowing and Kaito loved this. "I-I could never-"  
"She knows what she's doing, come on, just let her-"  
"Korekiyo would kill me-"  
"The game will just reset, you'll be fine!"  
"Kaito!"  
"I thought you liked me Shuuichi," you pouted, "Don't you want me to do this?"  
"Believe me, This is hard on me-"  
"Other things on him are probably hard, too." Kaito said cheekily, ignoring the glares he got in return.  
"...Regardless, I could never-" You cut him off with a kiss. Making his eyes shoot wide open. Kaito was just standing off to the side in disbelief and You weren't sure in your hazy state but you're pretty sure Shuuichi's ahoge shot straight up. When you broke your kiss you just looked at him with dreamy eyes and pouty lips. He couldn't fight it anymore. "....Maybe one lap dance wouldn't hurt..."  
"Yes!"  
"Kaito you have to leave!"  
"Why!?"  
"B-Because It's disgusting enough that I'm even going to entertain this. If we do this, you have to leave and you **Can't tell anyone** Understand?"  
"Bro, Of course." He said , chucking darkly and sliding out of the door. "I'll just leave you both alone."


	25. Chapter 25

Shuuichi woke up early, heading to your room and checking on you. When he left you the previous night, he felt bad and wanted to make sure you were alright. Upon knocking on your door, he flinched to see the Korekiyo answered it, glaring down at him. Shuuichi was afraid for his life until Korekiyo spoke up.  
"Ah, Good to see you." He started, friendly enough. "I appreciate you taking care of Y/N last night. I was... distracted." He lamented, a twinge of regret in his eyes.   
"Oh, Of course, it was no problem... is she up?"  
"Not yet. I've placed a few things by her bedside to assist her impending hangover and I was just about to leave to get her something to eat. Shouldn't be longer now. She'll be up any minute."  
"Mind if I go with you?"  
"Not at all." Korekiyo began his walk, urging the shorter boy to follow. As they left the dorms, they nearly bumped into Rantarou, who immediately apologized and passed them an index card.  
"Here you go."  
"....Sorry I Offended you/ Vomited on you/ vomited on your _______ / started a fist fight with you?" Korekiyo read the card. Once done he handed it over to the detective.   
"Yeah, I was drinking and I don't remember a whole lot of stuff. Just circle whichever one I did and know I'm sorry... Oh! And fill in the blank if I threw up on something."  
"...Gee, Thanks." Shuuichi backed up a little, putting the card in his pocket. "So you don't remember anything?"  
"I remember a little bit... I remember some people joining me. I know Korekiyo was there. Anyway, I have a lot of cards to hand out." Rantarou said his goodbyes, running off to hand more cards. Korekiyo couldn't help but smile.  
"Last night was definitely... different."  
"Are you suffering from anything this morning Shinguuji?"  
"I'm perfectly fine. I had a small headache but I tried to stay hydrated while drinking last night so I'm probably in better shape than Ryoma and Y/N."  
"Have you seen Ryoma at all today?"  
"He' suffering in his room. I paid him a visit, too..... Did Y/N give you any trouble last night?" Shuuichi tensed, not prepared for the sudden question and it's oddly dark tone.  
"...What do you mean?"  
"Well, Y/n is a very.... affectionate drunk. She was on my lap in seconds last night and kept asking me to cuddle her... I was just wondering if she gave you and Kaito any similar trouble-"  
"N-Not at all! She went directly to bed!" Shuuichi answered quite quickly. While the speed of his answer did raise a red flag, Korekiyo just ignored it.  
"Well, I was... a little disheartened to learn about your feelings for her and then to wake up this morning and learn I left her in your care... I was concerned but I see that my trust was well placed."  
"....Y-Yeah... Well placed."

 

 

They gathered some food, with Tojo's help, looking for something that would help You and Ryoma with your problem. Tojo was prepping the tray while Shuuichi and Korekiyo were rummaging through the cabinets. Peace was disturbed when Ouma entered the room, talking loudly with Kaito. Korekiyo thought nothing of it but Shuuichi was immediately on edge.  
"Mornin' Saihara," Kaito greeted. Shuuichi tried his best to signal that now was not the time for teasing but Kaito didn't seem to get the message. " How did your night go?" His tone raised alarms and Korekiyo just stopped moving, listening intently .  
"....Momota come on, not now-"  
"So you're not going to tell me about your lap dance, Detective?" Ouma said sweetly. Shuuichi opened his mouth to speak but absolutely nothing came out. His expression was priceless and of course Ouma and Kaito were snickering at him. On a less amusing note, Korekiyo was behind Shuuichi n seconds, glaring down at the boy with an unsually dark and murderous aura about him.  
"Ouma-"  
"What did he just say?" Shuuichi didn't even notice Korekiyo move, yet he was here, hovering over him with a very deadly glint in his eye. Kaito didn't even notice him in the room and now was regretting even stopping by. Ouma didn't seem to care for the murder that was about to take place.  
"S-Shinguuji I cant explain-"  
"You told me that she went directly to bed without incident!"  
"I-I know! She did! There was no lap dance, Ouma is just lying-"  
"Aww," The leader pouted. "Kaito told me she offered you a lap dance and you told him to leave the room!"  
"I told you not to tell anyone-" Shuuichi was so furious at Momota for breaking his promise that he did not realize that he just gave himself away. He couldn't shut his mouth fast enough and in a matter of seconds he was pushed against the fridge, Korekiyo contemplating strangling him. Tojo was behind him, urging him to stop and Kaito was just off to the side and frozen in a state of shock. "K-Korekiyo-"  
"I trusted you with her."  
"There was no lap dance, I swear! S-She offered and I did make Kaito leave but I tricked her into going to bed, It never happened-"  
"And why should I believe you? You never said anything about it-"  
"I didn't think she'd want anyone to know-"  
"Korekiyo let him go!" Tojo demanded. The anthropologist shook his head, throwing the boy to the ground. Tojo handed him the prepared tray and urged him to get back to something more important. He didn't leave the room without saying his piece. As he exited he was still scowling at the scared boy, warning him of terrible and cataclysmic consequences. The rest of the room was left stunned, except ouma who just let out a nice long whistle.  
"...Boy! If you turn up dead I guess we know who did it!"


	26. Chapter 26

"How are you feeling?" The anthropologist said sweetly, making you smile. Opening your eyes was out of the question, as all it did was strain your head. Even with your eyes closed, Korekiyo took strides to make sure that you knew he was right there every step of the way. Ryoma was there too, throwing a tennis ball in the air and catching it over and over again.  
"I still think it's funny,"  
"Please, Hoshi. I'm sure she doesn't want to hear more about the lap dance incident."  
"Actually I do-"  
"Okay, **I** do not want to hear about it." Korekiyo groaned, pressing something wet to your forehead. It helped a little bit and relaxed you slightly.  
"I think it's cute." Ryoma said, tossing the ball to you. He realized too late that your eyes were closed and you couldn't catch the ball but before it could hit you in the chest Korekiyo grabbed bit, tossing it over his shoulder. "Nice save. Anyway, I don't think it's a big deal."  
"Shuuichi could have taken advantage of her. We may never know what even happened last night-"  
"I know he told me to lay down and then I fell asleep." You said, your voice annoying you. "How long has it been? Can I take more pills yet?"  
"It hasn't even been an hour, just try and relax. Regardless of what he did or didn't do It's alarming that when I specifically asked if you came onto him that he lied to me. Please tell me you haven't considered his offer."  
"Well, I've had an intense few days since then... so no, I haven't considered his offer."  
"Yeah, It's been a fricking roller coaster." Ryoma commented. "Then you tried to seduce Angst Central."  
"Ryoma!"  
"Shinguuji, come on, It's funny."  
"No it is not!"  
"It's kind of funny." You said lightly, trying not to aggravate your throbbing head. "I wonder if he's mad at me-"  
"Why would he be?" Ryoma asked with a chuckle. Korekiyo let out an annoyed sigh..  
"Even if he is, he has no reason to be. He should he honored by the offer."  
"So, like, I'm curious. How good are lap dances given by the Ultimate Dancer?"  
"They're non of our business, Ryoma."  
"I don't know," You giggled. "I've never given a lap dance."  
"If you need a test subject my afternoons are free-"  
"Ryoma!"  
"I'm just joking! Jeez, Korekiyo, you trigger really easy." Ryoma didn't like Shinguuji's mood. After learning about last night, he became incredibly protective. He hadn't left your side and it didn't look like he was leaving you alone any time soon. Ryoma had some strong words for him but before he could say anything someone let themselves into the room. Korekiyo immediately took a threatened stance and Ryoma even glared at the intruder but they both calmed soon enough. Rantarou just waved his hands, apologizing for not knocking.  
"Forgive us, We thought you were someone else." Korekiyo apologized, going back to your side. You finally peeked to see Rantarou and smiled lightly.  
"Hi Amami." You said lightly " How are you feeling?"  
"Oh man, some whole new level of 'Regretting Life' but I'm less worried about that and more about you."  
"Don't worry man, I'll be fine-"  
"No," He started shyly. "T-That's not what I'm talking about...I was... well I heard from Kiibo that I said some pretty terrible things to you last night." You sat up, closing one eye to help alliviate the sudden rush to your skull. Korekiyo seemed oddly unfazed. "I apparently alluded to date raping you and I wanted to be a man and tell you that I'm sorry for what I said, even if I don't remember it. Hell, Especially if I don't remember it!" He joked, laughing a bit to lighten the mood. Your smile was encouraging.  
"Rantarou, It's fine. We were all kind of out of it."  
"Now you see," Korekiyo started. "Rantarou had the common decency to come and apologize for something he didn't even remember saying. Yet, Shuuichi can't even tell me the truth when prompted-"  
"Oh my god, let it go!" Ryoma whined, tired of this bullshit. Rantarou smirked, having heard the news from the grapevine.  
"Yeah, I heard all that this morning. Ouma was telling Miu about it. You really offered him a lap dance?"  
"I think so?" You said, unsure. "I don't remember but it sounds like something I would say."  
"Nice. So.... You didn't take it too well I imagine?" Amami asked. Korekiyo's murderous aura was the only answer he needed.  
"Yeah, Shinguuji is beyond pissed." Ryoma cut back in. "I think it's funny and kind of cute. Amami, what would you do if that adorable face asked you if you want a lap dance? I'm surprised Shuuichi didn't laugh his ass off."  
"Oh man, that does sound hilarious."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" You ask, leaning on Korekiyo. When he noticed you trying to lean on him while he was standing he sat on the edge of the bed, putting you in a better position to lean on him.   
"No offense but.." Rantarou bit his lip, shifting his attention between you and Korekiyo. "You're not sexy. You're cute. That's like picking up a stuffed animal and pressing the button in it's hand and in a baby voice it says 'Want a Lap Dance, Baby'." Ryoma cracked up, falling to the floor and wheezing at the mere thought. Korekiyo, however, was not amused and still took the situation very seriously. "Not that being cute is bad!"  
"Rantarou, relax, I get what you're saying... I need to talk to Shuuchi about this-"  
"Absolutely not-"  
"Koerkiyo, I understand how you feel and on some level I understand why you're mad but we still need to talk about this. You can come with me if you want."

 

 

"So where's your lap dog?" Kaito teased, poking the detective in the shoulder. He just ignored him, continuing to peruse the library for something to read. "She still asleep?"  
"Don't call her that." He finally commented, blushing slightly.   
"You're right... That carries a whole different meaning.... What about Lap bunny?"  
"I can't believe you told Ouma."  
"I didn't mean to... I was telling Maki and Ouma happened to pass by....I'm sorry-"  
"Don't worry about it... it doesn't really change anything. Korekiyo didn't really like me before, anyway." He seemed sad lamenting on that. Noticing his tone, Kaito pat his back, prepared to cheer his friend up. "I'm a little upset that Korekiyo had to find out that way, though. He has a lot of influence over her and I still don't have an answer from her yet.... She's going to say no." The detective massaged his forehead, frustrated with his luck and poor decisions.  
"Well, If she says no at least you know you tried?"  
"Shuuichi!" Kaede yelled happily, running into the library excited. "Y/N is looking for you! She wants to talk to you and she said she'd be in her Studio. She checked your research room but you weren't there and figured it'd just be easier to spread the word that she's looking for you."  
"She is?" He said, a twinge of hope in his voice.  
"See?" Kaito started, grinning ear to ear. "It's not too late. You can still make this work. Now hurry up! Hurry or Kaede died for nothing!"  
"Yeah!" Kaede joined in, encouraging him but it only confused the poor boy. He left the room, sheepishly running through scenarios in his head. Things should be alright if Korekiyo isn't there.

 

Alright. It was stupid to think that Korekiyo would not be there. He was right by the door when Shuuichi walked in and on the dance floor Ryoma was learning to do a headstand. The detective was a little unnerved, seeing as the Anthropologist was just staring at him. He wasn't saying anything. His eyes just followed Shuuichi where ever he went.  
"H-Hey Y/N," Shuuichi said, gaining your attention. Once distracted, you let go of Ryoma, accidentally causing him to hit the ground with a light thud. "You wanted to talk to me?"  
"Hi, Shuuichi-"  
"Y/N, Doll, you dropped me." You gave him some quick apology and walked over to Shuuichi. The smile you had assured him that you were feeling better and that you weren't angry with him. Good.  
"So... I wanted to apologize-"  
"Shuuichi stop. You didn't do anything." You argued, trying to calm him. Korekiyo narrowed his eyes at the boy and Shuuichi could feel his gaze melting a hole into the back of his head. You didn't seem to mind Shinguuji's anger.  
"I just wanted to make sure everything between us... is alright."  
"Of course... in fact... I have an answer for you today... about your offer." Every single male in the room was at attention, hearts pounding out of control. 2 hoping for a yes, one hoping for a no and if you wanted to slap him that'd be great too. It felt like forever before you spoke up again and your answer shook the entire room. "Yes."


	27. Chapter 27

Ouma just teased you both, as Tojo gave you a milkshake with 2 straws in it. He was curious and confused by your relationship. The dictator was staring directly at you both. You were able to ignore it, enjoying your milkshake, but Shuuichi was embarrassed. It was bad enough that on your first 'date' that Korekiyo and Kaito tagged along. Ouma was just being annoying.  
"Do you have to stare?" He finally asked, taking a sip of the milkshake, finally.  
"Describe your relationship again?"  
"Ugh, We're experimenting right now."  
"So your'e dating?"  
"Yes."  
"So she's your girlfriend?"  
"No."  
"So what is she?"  
"W-We're just seeing each other right now-"  
"So you're dating?"  
"Ouma, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Shuuichi snapped, finally annoyed. The leader just shook his head slowly, keeping a creepy smile.  
"I Have ALLLLL day!"  
"Oh great." You giggled, hearing Shuuichi grumble. "I was under the impression that we'd be alone."  
"Not on your life." Shinguuji said darkly. His tone immediately turned sweet when addressing you, however. "Y/n, are you enjoying your milkshake, sweetie?"  
"It's delicious! Tojo thank you so much."  
"Of course, Do you need anything else?" She asked gently. You shook your head and she excused herself to tend to something else. Kaito was enjoying watching your little date. He had to admit that Shinguuji's icy stare was killing the mood but you didn't mind it at all.  
"This is nice," You started, "Do you want the cherry Shuuichi?"  
"N-No, You can have it- Ouma stop staring at me!"  
"You're soooo red Saihara!"  
"Ouma go away!" Shuuichi's pleas were ignored. Ouma was having fun. You sighed.  
"Korekiyo."  
"Yes, Y/N?"  
"Remove Ouma please. He's bothering me."  
"Of course," He said politely immediately walking over and picking up Ouma. The leader started whining but the taller boy ignored him. "If you keep biting me I'm locking you in a closet." As he dragged him off you let out a happy hum. Kaito looked impressed.  
"Nice. Does he do tricks?"  
"Nah, but he's really sweet!"  
"He removed Ouma on command.... that was kind of funny? Does he always do stuff like that for you?" Kaito asked. Shuuichi glared at him, almost if he was telling him to stop prying but you didn't mind.  
"He's like the brother I never had or maybe I have because I forgot who I really was!" You sounded so upbeat, Shuuichi couldn't help but smile. "Either way, we're like family. Korekiyo is always looking out for me."  
"That's sweet." Shuuichi said, propping his head up on his hand. "In situations like this it's good to be close to people."  
"Friends make life easier in general." As you struck up casual conversation, Kaito smirked and slinked out of the room. You both noticed quickly and looked at each other, only embarrassing yourselves.  
"S-So... Finally alone."  
"Yeah, great date. Milkshake is really good."  
"....I hope you aren't offended in any way by the whole 'girlfriend' thing."  
"No I get it. It's not something you should rush into."  
"I'm glad you're not mad and I'm really glad we can spend some time together."

 

You and Shuuichi talked for what seemed like hours, sharing stories and secrets. He took you back to his research room, showing you around and you ended up with a few books he thought you'd like. You were in agreement that the next date would be to your studio and that you would teach Shuuichi to ballroom dance. As the day grew dark, you grew worried. You hadn't seen a trace of your friends all day. Shuuichi offered to walk you to Korekiyo's research room. In the air of the night you felt chilly and with no hesitation the detective took off his jacket and hung it on your shoulders.  
"What a gentleman."  
"Well, I wouldn't want you to get sick... it feels like the seasons are changing in here...but I don't think this simulation was supposed to run this long so why does it have programmed seasons?"  
"We may never know. I hope it snows though. I like the snow."  
"That would be beautiful... but none of us have any winter clothes?"  
"There's that." You made Shuuichi smile. He took a moment to look around for any sign of changing seasons as you approached your destination. When you go to Korekiyo's room. You entered, calling for the anthropologist in your adorable little way. Shuuichi stayed by the door, knowing full well that the folklorist would not be happy to see him but would at least want to ask a few question about your day.  
"Korekiyo!" You called again. "I want to tell you about my exciting day!" You started wandering around, looking in every nook and cranny and peering in every door. You stopped on a closet to the south of his research room. You didn't really think he was inside but you were determined to look absolutely everywhere. You opened the closet and yelled into it, amusing Shuuichi but his chuckling stopped when he noticed you were frozen. You felt a complete loss of total body heat and your skin was clammy and cold. Shuuichi ran over, asking you if everything was alright. The moment he was a foot from you, you collapsed onto him, causing him to panic. He looked up in the closet hugged you close seeing Korekiyo tied to a chair, his head hanging down, dripping blood on his lap. The school chime went off a few seconds later.


	28. Chapter 28

"Which one of you fucks did this!?" Kaito yelled, Maki trying her best to tell him to calm down.Almost everyone gathered quickly and you felt incredibly insulted that most of them either saw his murder coming or didn't care. Your rage was only concealed by Angie, who sat at the bottom of a nearby staircase with you, humming and hugging you. She was the only thing keeping your sanity in check. Shuuichi started investigating immediately, taking a good look at the body and treating this case with the utmost care. This was Shinguuji Korekiyo. You were like a sister to him and upon learning about his false memories, you were all he had. It was not just the anthropologist though. He was all you had as well. Sure, you had Angie and Ryoma, but there's a difference between friends and family. No matter what seemed to happen between you both, you patched it up with little to no questions asked. Shuuichi didn't get along with Korekiyo very well but this case was important to him and even though you all made a pact to never vote for the real criminal, he felt like he had to solve this one. Almost as if his life depended on it.  
"Kaito, please come down." Tojo said softly. "Has anyone seen Rantarou and Yumeno?"  
"Yumeno went to the bathroom and I haven't seen Rantarou in like an hour." Tenko said simply. "They're be here soon. Back on topic, Someone is dead!"  
"We all saw this coming, let's be honest." Ouma said, irritating you. Angie hugged you tighter and continued to hum to you.  
"Really? Honest, Ouma? Are you capable of that?" Tenko asked, "Either way, we have to find out who the killer is so we can vote up the wrong person."  
"What if we can't figure out who did it?" Gonta asked.  
"Just vote up Y/n." Kaito said nonchalantly. Shuuichi looked up at him instantly, incredibly insulted. "Look, I know you're 'seeing each other' but we know she didn't do it so she'd be a safe one to pick."  
"...That's true... I still don't like it." Shuuichi tried his best not to allude to the fact that this was a good idea. While distracted and looking over at Kaito he noticed something a tad off in the background. He went to inspect it, ignoring the arising conversation.  
"Look, Just admit that you did it! Everyone knows you didn't like the fucking guy!" Miu yelled, pissing off Tenko.  
"I didn't kill him!"  
"Well he killed you? Makes sense to me that you would do this-"  
"Way more people had motives! What about Saihara? Korekiyo didn't want you anywhere near your girlfriend-"  
"She's not his girlfriend yet! They're testing the waters-!" Kaito was quickly cut off by Ouma giggling.  
"Oh, I bet Korekiyo didn't like that lack of commitment. Maybe they had a confrontation?"  
"Still doesn't make sense. Saihara was with Y/n all day. You were the last one to see Korekiyo alive!" Kaito pointed out. Kokichi didn't seem fazed.  
"He picked me up and put me in my room! I hadn't seen him since!"  
"A likely story!" Kiibo started. "Regardless. The culprit must come forward. Korekiyo will be revived by morning Y/n. Do not worry!" The robot said happily, trying to lift your spirits. You did manage to smile.   
"So why won't the killer just fucking admit it! You killed Shinguuji, big deal-" Kaito cut himself off, realizing the words 'big deal' weren't probably the best/ You glared at the astronaut and he mumbled some quick apology. Shuuichi was examining a busted display case with blood on the side. Is this where Korekiyo hit his head? Shuuichi opened the case, seeing that some blood was smudge on the inside. He began to panic slightly. The lining was slightly separated from the rest of the case. Shuuichi peeled it back and let out a sharp gasp almost immediately.  
"G-Guys!" He yelled, getting everyone's attention. When the arguing stopped and everyone began gathering around the case. Gonta helped Shuuichi throw the lining of the case to the side to reveal the inside of the base. Bleeding in the base was Rantarou's body.

 

Shuuichi did a fair amount of snooping around and once he found everything he thought was necessary he looked for you. Angie said that you had run off shortly after Rantarou's body was found. Shuuichi knew almost immediately where you had gone. The only place you can go to seek release. He and Angie were at your research room as fast as possible. She entered slowly, grinning ear to ear to see you lost in the beat. She stood to the side, silently supporting you and urging Shuuichi not to bother you either. This is how you vent. You needed this. It had been a long time since you had simply let go. They opted to stay and watch until it was time for the trial.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Sorry for the late and TERRIBLE chapter. In the original story board for this story it was not supposed to be a double murder and that complicated everything. I cannot tell you why I threw in a double murder but It broke my whole story. I tried my best to save it and I hope I can.**

You listened to everyone bickering evidence back and forth while also defending that it didn't even matter who killed Rantarou and Korekiyo. You couldn't even properly focus. Shuichi glanced at you every few seconds just to make sure that you were okay. You were just standing there with that soulless look, staring at the portrait of Korekiyo. Shuichi fought hard, trying to piece together what was going on.  
"So, Its possible that Rantarou was killed first." Shuichi said firmly "His body was being hid in the display case when Korekiyo walked in."  
"So this murder became a double murder." Kaito seethed, eyeing everyone in the room. It almost bothered him that they had to intentionally vote up the wrong person. " So which one of you fucks is behind this?"  
"Yeah," Ouma started. "Because they're going to go through great lengths hiding the bodies to just admit they did it... Not that it looks like the bear is willing to actually let us go."  
"So who fucking did it!" Miu yelled. "Do we even have any evidence!"  
"Actually we do," Kirumi started, "Remember? Shuichi found dried blood on several artifacts but there's one that's also dented."  
"Rantarou was stabbed," Shuichi started. "Korekiyo suffered blunt force trauma so the dented artifact was probably used to kill him."  
"Most of us were together and eating in the cafeteria," Tsumugi started. "So the only ones with absolutely NO alibi are Ouma, Kiibo, Yumeno and Ryoma."  
"Wouldn't it be grand if there were 2 separate killers!"  
"Bite your fucking tongue, Ouma!" The inventor cut in quickly. "It's hard enough to deal with one murderous shithead"  
"So ... are we ready to vote?" Ryoma asked, making Shuichi just look at him.  
"W-Wait a second," Tsumgi said horrified. "We need to find the murderer!"  
"We really don't." Ouma commented simply, a twisted grimace on his face. "It doesn't even matter."  
"Now hang on!" Monukuma said, sounding a little perturbed at the idea of guessing. "At least talk it over. Remember what's at stake if you're wrong!"  
"Fucking nothing!" Kaito answered. "Let's vote already-"  
"Hang on!" Shuichi cut in, "I want to solve this. 2 people are dead-"  
"Well they won't be much longer if we hurry up and vote-"  
"2 people are DEAD!" Shuichi said, slamming his hands on his pedestal's edge. "We can't just ignore that."  
"Let's start with Motive," Kiibo urged. "Who would even have a reason to kill Rantarou or Korekiyo? Monokuma had not presented a motive yet."  
"So this had to be personal." Kirumi added. Ouma groaned, tapping his finger impatiently.  
"Why do we even care!?" As he whined, Shuichi looked over to you again. You were just still staring into empty space.He assumed You probably weren't even listening. As they continued to bicker you just sat there with that hollow look. When you were upset Korekiyo was always a good person to talk to. He was always so understanding and willing to listen.  
"Look," Tenko started. "Why doesn't the killer just reveal himself? It's not like there's a permanent punishment!"  
"Why do you assume it's a guy?" Ryoma asked, getting a scoff in response.  
"Well, Think of the LAST double murder we had-  
"Ix-Nay on ouble-Day Urder-May." Kaito said between his teeth, gesturing to you in the least stealthy way possible. Shuichi felt his eye twitch, seeing Kaito failing at being discrete. "So...uh... actual evidence?"  
"I did it." Ryoma said randomly, making everyone look at him. You even lifted your head, staring in his direction.  
"....What?" Kiibo said, his voice a little shaky.  
"I did it, I killed them."  
"What the hell ?!" Kaito yelled, scaring Shuichi a little. "You're just going to admit it!?"  
"Yeah, Look this trial doesn't even matter. This game is useless-" "Hold on a minute!" Monokuma stood in his chair, stomping his foot. Broken string of code appeared around him randomly, as if the simulation was breaking. "What on earth is going on at this stupid trial!"  
"Look I did it, Just vote me-"  
"Hoshi, why the fuck did you kill 2 people!?" You yelled suddenly, "Let alone our friends-"  
"Look,"He interrupted, a dark look in his eye. "You're great Y/n. You're an easy person to get along with. Korekiyo was just freaking difficult. Always trying to keep you close and safe and yeah sometimes it was good but for the most part it was just too much. He wanted to sabotage your date with Shuichi."  
"But why Rantarou?" Kaede spoke up, "What on earth did Amami do?"  
"He foudn the body and was going to alert everyone but your date wasn't over yet." Ryoma said simply, as if it was the greatest alibi in the world. "Hit Korekiyo with a teapot. Stabbed Rantarou with some pointy thing in a case. Game over, I lost. "  
"Well... shoot." Monokuma said flatly "Uh... voting time?" Everyone voted instantly while the little bear just sat in his thrown scratching his head and muttering about how lazy this generation was and something about the low amount of effort put in by the writing staff for this trial. You weren't surprised when your face appeared on that screen but someone was surprised. The bear was enraged, seeing your little face on that screen, seeing the unanimous vote towards you. It didn't take long to piece together everything.  
"Oh darn, we were wrong again-" OUma was interrupted by a high pitched scream, bits of code popping in and out and changing color of the area slightly with each appearance.  
"Oh! So That's it H-Hu huhu hU-UH-Huh?!" His voice came out broken and distorted, the bear glitching in and out of this augmented reality. "It W-as dasjaAS AS OS EASY!"  
"....Did anyone catch that?"" Tenko whispered nervously, backing up a little. The bear scanned the crowd, trying to determine where this plan came from. After scanning, he just stopped moving. It was almost as if the one controlling the bear was no longer there. Like he stepped a way for a minute. Just to stay safe, none of you moved. No one spoke.  
  
  
  
After about 4 minutes of this silence. Miu let out a tiny sneeze.  
"Great!" Ouma started, "Now we're going to die because bitchlet is sick!"  
"I don't think he's in there..." Tsumugi said cautiously. She moved her head around, trying to look at the bear from different angles. "Is it... empty?"  
"I hope it's dead." Kiibo mumbled. "...How long are we supposed to stay here"  
"Well the podiums aren't going to lower if he's not here." Shuichi started. "We could jump down but-"  
"Can we just talk about how fucking weird that last murder was?" Miu said annoyed. "Are we just going to glaze by that? Is that what's happening? Ryoma! Killed! 2! People!"  
"We're not going to get anywhere by focusing on the past." Tsumugi said, clearly stating an unpopular opinion as murmurs began to fill the room.  
"Why did you just confess?" Shuichi asked, making the tennis player shrug. "You have to have a better answer than that! We could have figured it out-"  
"Dude, these trials are like 5 hours long." Ryoma defended. "Since we have to vote up the wrong person anyway, I wasn't going to waste time dragging out this debate."  
"Then why not confess earlier!?"  
"...Increase word count?" Ryoma offered. "Honestly, It doesn't matter. Trials over." You weren't satisfied with these answers, probably because of how suddenly you received all the information. Right now, you were more afraid of what was happening in the real world. The boss, according to the programmer, was the one controlling monokuma. Which explains his lack of appearances.... so where was he now? The room was filled with concern, Gonta was breathing heavily, looking around. Someone had to have a plan, right?  
"....W-What do we do now?" He asked quietly. Yumeno was about to speak until the bear came back online. You stagger back as he screamed and you noticed your hair flitting in and out of existence. The last thing you remember before the sudden cut to white was the bear appearing in your face. An unholy anger about him.  
" **You...** "

**Author's Note:**

> **THIS IS AN ENTIRELY FICTIONAL AU THAT I MADE UP TO WRITE FAN FICTION FOR THIS GAME WITH THE CONVENIENCE OF HAVING EVERY CHARACTER ALIVE. PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU LIKED IT!**


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